Teaching,
for me, is a career that allows me to invest in the future. I believe
that students are the world’s agents of change. Students have a
responsibility to lead our society in the future. As an educator it is my
responsibility to teach social responsibility, to create and teach community
and empower my students to take ownership and accountability in his or her
learning, not only here in school but in lifelong learning contexts.
I want my students to understand that his or her actions now develop
into who he or she becomes in the future.I want my students to be responsible, informed citizens in the classroom, in the community and in the world. My students will be given a responsibility to always think critically and look at perspectives. Critical thinking means students consider his or her opinions and ideas in comparison to others and understand how his or her beliefs and actions shape their relationship with their local place and beyond. When students realize the potential inside of them, based on the actions and choices of being responsible citizens, they will be able to use responsibility as a tool to become active, contributing, and respectful members of this society. This is one of the most important skills I can guide them in.
In order to guide students
to be responsible citizens I must also instill how important it is to have a
safe, respectful, supportive and caring classroom where all students feel they
can have a voice and grow. Students who feel a sense of trust, ownership
and belonging in the classroom will be more willing to develop a voice that
will lead to contribution within the classroom. This can only happen when
teachers and students have a supportive and respectful relationship with one
another. In order to create this atmosphere within my classroom, I believe
open and honest communication is the key.
Therefore, a caring
community should have respect for opinions, opportunities to collaborate, and
more opportunities to make decisions together as a whole. Establishing a caring
community must begin at the start of the year. To ensure that all
students will be respected, there must be a set of norms established which I
always have the students create together. It is important that students
participate in this process because it will allow them to feel included in the
community and to feel a kind or ownership of classroom. Once these rules
are set, we can focus on keeping them to guarantee all students can engage
safely and orderly to feel successful to the learning that is happening in the
room. Some norms may include, being respectful to yourself, others and
property, listen when others are talking, and be kind and considerate of
others. Also, I always incorporate classroom meetings on a weekly or
as-needed basis to promote collaborative methods of problem solving.
Having students discuss problems within the classroom and finding
possible solutions allow students to learn from other peers and prior
life-experiences. These interactions will also help students find a sense
of identity with others and allow them to value others’ ideas and opinions. This collaboration will teach students that
learning from others is just as important as learning from one’s own mistakes.
By allowing this kind of interaction within the classroom students can work collaboratively inside and outside the classroom and outside of the classroom while working with others. I truly believe that working in a collaborative environment is crucial for preparing students to become responsible leaders and workers for the future. In a 21st century world students will need to learn the importance of collaboration. In order to create this style of learning in the classroom the sense of community has to come first. The best way to do this is to create a student-centered learning community where students work collaboratively together to solve real-world problems. I feel that teaching with this type of instruction empowers my students to take ownership of their learning by allowing them to explore problems and uncover solutions.
To be a successful educator, student learning should be the focal point of instruction. For that reason, I consider myself a facilitator rather than a teacher. As a facilitator, I aim to provide my students with the learning tools to construct their own education. For example, I help students find ways to answer their own questions by encouraging them to perform active research, rather than giving them the answer. If one were to walk into my classroom, he or she would find my students working in groups, solving problems through hands-on investigation and technology infusion.
Creating this kind of learning in a classroom is crucial in my
students taking control of their learning. I hope that each walks away
with learning as a tool for future success throughout their lives. If a
student can achieve this he or she will become a life-long learner. It is
my dream that students come out of my classroom being a life-long learner. As a
teacher I will model that learning happens everywhere, every day and anytime.
I believe one way teachers can promote and support this idea is through
peer monitoring or collaboration with others. Many students may associate
learning with academic subjects such as literacy from books or math from
worksheets; however, learning takes place in many forms, in many different
places. For example, when students are working with partners to peer edit
their writing, they are learning to be cooperative and value each other’s ideas
and creativity, in addition to experiencing the writing process. Teachers need
to be aware and support this learning by discussing how being cooperative and
working as partners are also considered learning and how one would apply those
skills outside the classroom.
I believe that all students can be successful, but students themselves need to believe that they can be successful too. I firmly believe that setting goals and reflecting on past learning is an efficient way to further motivate students. By setting goals, achieving them, or reflecting on the processes of struggling or overcoming hardships, students become active in taking control of how they learned and what they overcame, and they feel a sense of accomplishment. I plan to have students blog throughout the year about his or her learning, “ah ha” moments, or struggles they have overcome so they can progressively see how much they have grown and applied these experiences to better themselves.
Becoming an educator for me has been a real gift. I enjoy working with students each and every day. To get to guide a student in the endeavor of learning is something special. I learn so much from my students; I cannot imagine having another career.