Western Kentucky University / O / Donna P. Otto

Well this is my last evaluation on profeval after 4 years at Western Kentucky University. It has gone by quite fast.

For this course everything is centered on doing your Teacher Work Sample. DO IT AS SOON AS YOU CAN. Try to make your TWS unit one of your first teaching units so you can get this typed and completed over your school's spring break. This will greatly reduce your stress and the TWS isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. You just have to analyze some information and if you covered some of the TWS in your methods classes then you will have absolutley no problems.

The other requirements for this course outside of the TWS is doing a resume, a cover letter, a thank you letter, attending a university job fair in early May (but if you don't plan on teaching on the Western side of KY it's not really worth your time), and completing your KY REAP application. Many of these are easy points as Dr. Otto gives you feedback during each bi-weekly seminar meeting before you have to turn in your papers for a real grade. She's a former business teacher so she's a stickler for this stuff. She also hates it when people show up late SO BE THERE ON TIME. You should have already learned this in your teacher preparation courses but in case you haven't gotten the message get it now. Daily attendance & participation is a large part of the course grade so you can sometimes get extra credit for just being there.

Believe me, you'll love going to seminar so you can get away from teaching every other week. Our seminar was a party-like atmosphere with people sharing their experiences and it's pretty cool to see people going through the same frustrations that you are.

To do well in this class just put your best foot forward and do what is required of you. If you do that and are attentive then you won't have any trouble with Dr. Otto, although I think she's retiring this year so next year seminar might be handled by someone different.

Adios Western!

P.S.--If you get Dr. Otto as a student teaching supervisor then from what I heard you want to be VERY organized because she's a stickler for that too. Word to the wise.