Why am I studying to be a teacher?
I am studying to be a teacher because I have always wanted to make a change in the world. I want to have a lasting impact on people. I want to say that I was a part of shaping the next group of young people that will run the world. I have always felt that I wanted to be a part of something bigger than me, and that will have a lasting effect on the world.
I have always felt like I belong in a classroom. I really have always just known that I want to be a teacher. I want to be a middle level teacher because middle school was a hard time in my life and I want to be able to help students navigate through the hard times in their lives.
I have had teachers in the past that I remember that have changed my life. I want to be like them for my future students. I want to be remembered by my future students as someone who changed their lives, made them feel listened to, and made them feel they are in an environment they can learn in.
What is the purpose and goals of teaching?
To make students feel welcomed and able to learn.
To make students feel listened to, and represented.
To provide students with knowledge, and to give them the tools needed to take on their future endeavors and to keep learning.
To make students feel excited to learn, and make them feel excited about their accomplishments and to see their potential.
To make a community among the classroom where students feel comfortable being vulnerable and comfortable collaborating with one another.
What kind of work should students do?
Students should be engaged in their work. If it is work that doesn’t have students’ engaged, it is not the right task for the class.
Students should be assigned tasks with variety - this allows them to discover their learning style, and what works best for them.
Students should be assigned both group and individual assignments - students should be able to work both by themselves and with others.
Students should be given work that is purposeful in learning. They should be doing activities that will help them understand what they are learning, instead of just preparing for a one time exam.
Students should also be assigned work that helps them in the future - work that gives them the tools that they will need in their future experiences.
Students should be a part of the work that they do. They should collaborate with their teacher about what they would like to learn, and how they can best do that.
What should the curriculum be?
The curriculum should be modern - students get uninterested and do not want to learn about things that have no connection to them.
The curriculum should also acknowledge history, but it should be about how we can learn from history.
Curriculum should be expanded so it represents everyone, and gives students representation.
The curriculum should be about what students want to learn about.
The curriculum should be decided by both students and teachers collaboratively.
The curriculum should NOT be decided by people who do not have an education background (other than K-12 schooling).
What does a learner look like?
A learner is someone who is constantly adapting, and listening.
Every learner is different, and every learner has potential to do great things.
Learners are underestimated.
Learners are also people - meaning, they also have other things going on in their lives that we as educators should respect and help them with, if we can.
What does a teacher look like?
Teachers are also learning everyday - learning about their students, learning more about themselves, learning what works and what doesn't in their classroom.
Teachers are underappreciated. Teachers shape the future of the world, but everyone thinks that people only go into this major because it’s easy. It is not.
Teachers are leaders and examples.
Teachers can make students feel welcome by listening to them and being there for them.
Teachers are human - they are not superheroes for doing their jobs and doing right by their students.They are also not perfect 100% of the time, and that is okay.
What kind of school climate is the best?
A great school climate is welcoming, flexible, and accommodating.
A great school climate is a community, listens to its community, and works together.
A great school community respects everyone and their diverse identities.
A great school community has a great advisory program, which listens to their students and doesn’t shame them for their problems.
This assignment has really helped me to think about my values as a future teacher, and to see how much has changed or stayed the same over the course of the semester. This semester has really affirmed my desire to be a teacher and I feel a bit more equipped to do so now, but there is still a lot I need to learn. This semester and learning about middle schoolers has shown me that this is the age level I really want to teach at.
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