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More handpicked essays just for you.
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Educational Goals and Philosophy Deciding on a career is a very difficult decision for anyone to make, especially for someone just coming out of high school. I always knew that I wanted to work with children, but I didn’t know what field I wanted to be in. After thinking about what field I could be in that I could work with children the most, I decided to become a teacher. I have always had a great deal of respect for most of the teachers I’ve had and hopefully I will be able to gain that respect from my students. I believe that if you are going to teach, you have to have some degree of love for children. Once any teacher has lost that, I think it is time for them to stop teaching. The two most important things that have inspired me to become a teacher are being able to work with young children all the time and the personal rewards that come with teaching. My biggest goal as a teacher is to make a child want to learn. I believe children in general do want to learn and it is our job as teachers to give them a chance to do that. I think in order for a child to want to learn, we have to make learning fun and interesting. I believe that by relating the students every day lives to the material they are learning will help accomplish this. Knowing that I have taught a child something, have made a child want to learn or have made a difference in a child’s life would be the most rewarding feeling in the world. As a teacher one of the main strategies that I want to incorporate into my classroom is cooperative learning. Cooperative learning gives the students a chance to get to know each other better, to work together on things, and to depend on one another to get things done. Another reason I prefer this type of learning is that instead of one individual person failing or succeeding, it is the group as a whole (sink or swim together).
Most individuals can recall when they were very young saying, “When I grow up, I want to be a . . . ” For some people, over the course of growing up their ambitions changed several times. But for many, they ended up in a career which was a life long desire, goal, or ambition. Today, students must begin to think about their future on a more serious note than that of childhood during the latter part of their middle school years. This is during their eighth grade year usually, which is a year or two younger now than just a few years past. But, the reason for this is still the same. This will enable students to gear their education in a route which will hopefully benefit them after high school graduation or in their future. For some, these choices and decisions will never change. But for others, for various reasons, they may decide on a career change somewhere down the road or during the course of their life. As for myself, I definitely fall into the latter of the two mentioned. After working for years in the field of business (my first degree), I felt a desire and need for a career change. I wanted a more rewarding career. Personally I feel doctors and teachers have the most rewarding careers of any profession. Therefore, teaching became my goal and ambition for my career. Unlike most individuals, I was able to obtain first hand insight into my choice before returning to college to further my education in this area by substitute teaching on a permit for three years (based on my Bachelor of Science degree and six hours of graduate studies). During these three years, I obtained two long term positions, one for three semesters, and another for one semester. I spent the duration of my time...
It was the last day of school. My daughter's 3rd grade class had just chosen to have me read to them instead of playing a game. As I explained that we wouldn't be able to finish the rest of the chapter book I had begun several weeks before, I suggested "You can check it out at the library and finish it over the summer". One little girl looked up at me in disappointment and said, "but it wouldn't be the same as hearing you read"! My heart melted and the final reason was added to my ongoing mental list of why I should begin to pursue a teaching degree at the age of 35.
It was not until middle school that I began distinguishing those of my teachers who motivated and inspired me from those who simply went through the motions of teaching. It was also about that same time that I began envisioning myself as an educator -- one who not only impressed his students with the mastery of content but also impressed upon his students the need to perform at the highest academic level possible. When you really think about it, an education is simply an instrument with as many uses that an individual can come across; however, it is also something that is taken for granted by so many. Educating our youth and society is essential to the survival of the human race, and making sure that all children not only receive a full, well-rounded education but also take nothing for granted is a serious challenge for today's educator. I possess that inner desire to make a difference; I hold myself in that light hoping to inspire and motivate generations of students to come. To accomplish this dream, though, I will need much more than sheer desire and determination. In fact, any hopeful educator must subscribe to philosophies and strategies ranging from teaching styles to discipline, from motivational techniques to leadership. In the following text, I will attempt to touch on all of these issues and also spend some time discussing such topics as educational reform and mainstreaming in the classroom.
For the past seven years, I have had the same dream - to someday be a high school math teacher. I am finally on my way to turning that dream into a reality. Along the way, I am learning a lot of things and forming a number of opinions. One of the main areas in which I am forming new beliefs is in relation to what methods I will use in teaching my class and what aspects of what philosophies I will employ. First of all, however, I must reach the point where I have a class to teach.
I believe to teach is to make a difference in the world. As an Early Childhood Educator, I can be certain that anything taught and beneficial to young students can pave the way for them to a have colorful future that will help improve the future of humanity and the earth in the long run. Obviously, teachers play a huge role in their students’ education but I believe the students themselves play an even bigger role as they are the driving force of what they learn.
As a child, when someone asked me what I was going to be when I grew up my answer was always a teacher. For as long as I can remember I wanted to teach. When I was around 7 or 8 years old I would make my grandmother math worksheets and she would pretend to be my student. I knew as I grew older that yes, my dream job as a kid was exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I started looking into different fields of teaching. I was stuck between high school English or Anatomy/Biology. So I began my freshman year of college as a biology student and I did community service at a local daycare. One week working with the children and I knew then that I wanted to be an elementary teacher more than anything. To see the smiles on their faces
I believe teaching is a privilege and a serious profession. There are few other careers in which you have as great of an effect on other people. The responsibility is great and I take it very seriously. At the same time teaching can be fun and intellectually stimulating. As a teacher, I will have the opportunity to explore and define a subject area that I have committed my career to---Science. What better way to show my enthusiasm for the subject than to teach it? Additionally, I know that there is nothing more rewarding than reaching a student through my teaching and having a profound influence on their curiosity. Good teaching should extend beyond the classroom, and it will if students are inspired to continue their studies on their own. Honestly, I believe that there is no other job that is equally as rewarding.
As a child, playing “school” occupied most of my time. My younger sister and I taught a bedroom full of stuffed animals and filled in imaginary names in our old school books. From the bad bears and loud bunnies to the good puppies and smart kittens, each stuffed animal possessed his or her own personality.
As children we have many goals and dreams. Eventually, the time comes when we have to make a career decision based on our interests and goals. The choices that we make now will have a lasting effect on our lives. Like most college students I have explored many career options, but I am always lead back to the education field. Teachers have a very difficult job because they have the power to shape and inspire our future nation. Although that can be an intimidating and often scary thought, it also gives me inspiration to move ahead in pursuing my goal of becoming a teacher. I have always had a passion for children. There is nothing like watching a child grow and watching their mind expand as they learn. Teachers play such an important role in a child’s life. They are often the only one who is there to encourage and support them. If I can make a difference in only one child’s life, then I will have fulfilled my purpose of becoming a teacher.
I believe that my job as a teacher is not simply to place knowledge in my students heads. I must also help them understand that knowledge and show them how they can use it throughout their lives. To be truly successful at my job I must transfer my excitement for learning and curiosity to my students, so they will want to learn more.
Becoming a teacher has been the ultimate aspiration for myself since the first day I walked into kindergarten. As a very timid student, it was a difficult task transitioning from being with my mother everyday, to being part of a classroom environment full of strangers. However, my kindergarten teacher helped me through this transition smoothly, and adequately. I very quickly learned to love school. Soon after, I knew I would aspire to become a teacher. I would spend countless hours at home with a blackboard, acting as a teacher to my imaginary students throughout my elementary school years.
Education, which refers to the transfer of indispensable skills and knowledge, is a vital aspect of the social-economic planning of a country as it generates a competitive workforce which contributes significantly to economic growth. Nevertheless, the jury is still out on whether the chief goal of education is to provide a ticket to a better life, hence improving the living standards of individuals. At first glance, it is tempting to buy into the claim that the ultimate purpose of education is to guarantee a high living standard as good academic qualification enables us to become high income earners. However, upon further dissection of the intricacy of the issue, we should look past the superficial value of such a claim and accept that essentially, education has other crucial functions in our society.
There have been many factors that have inspired me to this career choice. Watching my teachers, both past and present, has inspired me to become a teacher. I have a genuine interest in lifelong learning and as such I have the desire to not only instil knowledge and values to others, but also encourage them to share my passion for learning. Social Justice and leadership roles at school, along with my extra-curricular involvement with Cowra Youth Council, have highlighted my ability to work with and for the benefit of young people. In essence I know that my abilities and aspirations will make me a good teacher.
Teaching is a daunting task that I do not intend to take lightly. Becoming a teacher has been a dream of mine for several years. I always knew that teaching would be the career for me, especially when I began working in the school system as a substitute secretary. I loved working in the school environment; coming in contact with children everyday made me realize how much I would enjoy teaching a classroom full of students.
Teaching has always been a dream of mine ever since I was a little girl. I have had multiple teachers who have impacted my life in many ways, but the one teacher who has inspired me to pursue a career in the education field as a teacher would be my math teacher that I have this year. She inspires me every day and is truly my role model. I look up to her on a daily basis, and I aspire to become a teacher because of her and how she has changed my life for the better have always appreciated the hard work that teachers do on a daily basis, and I always have appreciated the fact that they take time out of their day to teach their students valuable skills that the students may utilize in the future. I aspire to become a teacher in the future and hopefully make a difference in students’ lives. Teachers are more than just people who educate students, they are people who continue to make a difference in my life and teach me the value of hard work every day. I know that I really want to pursue a career in the education field as a teacher because I want to help people and share my love of learning with my future students. I also want to become a teacher because I would like to give back to the amazing teachers that I have this year and take what they have taught me and instill that in my future classroom. I realize that teaching is a lot of hard work, but I am willing to give one hundred percent effort on a daily basis so that students can receive a great education that they deserve.