“Every child that steps into a classroom has something of value to contribute”
The role of public education as I see it is to provide every child the opportunity to become a valuable member of society. It is an institution where parents, teachers and the community can collaborate to help each student achieve educational success. It takes all kinds of individuals with different teaching styles and philosophies to achieve this. I believe my role as a teacher is to challenge students to think for themselves, think critically (solve problems) and to encourage learning through lessons that are fun. My philosophy is that I should strive to provide authentic learning experiences through student engagement and collaboration. As an educator it is my responsibility to facilitate learning opportunities whether they come from direct instruction, student collaboration in the classroom, or involvement in community activities.
In my opinion, all facets of the community should be accountable in public education. It truly does “take a village to raise a child” (Clinton1996) especially in the 21st century. I believe we are all teachers and we are all students. Parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders can encourage children to set lifelong goals that can be achieved one step at a time. We are responsible for stressing the importance of attendance, doing their best every day and never quitting; no matter how difficult the task assigned may be. Teachers and parents must work together to insure students are receiving every opportunity to be successful in school. This can be accomplished through frequent communication and mutual support. Ultimately, the teacher is accountable for the success of the student’s academic progress. ...
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...males, and people that come from a background of low income families. My students fall into all of those categories so I feel that as an educator I need to find ways for the students to have some contact with people who are in those fields in order to show them that people do actually make a living in the field of science and if it is something they love they should pursue a career in one of these fields.
Never in a million years would I have thought I would be a teacher, much less a candidate for teacher of the year because, as a child, I was one of those kids who didn’t really like school. I was the child who stared out the window wishing I was anywhere but there. It was the teachers who cared enough to foster my creative side , made learning fun and made me feel my worth that kept me in school along they way. That is the teacher I try to be for others.
Politicians claim that Accountability is needed. Dylan Wiliam wrote that “The logic of accountability is deceptively simple”(110) He goes on to say that “students attending higher quality schools will (by definition) have higher achievement than those attending lower quality schools, so that the differences in quality of schools will result in systematic differences in achievement between schools”(110). Yes indeed accountability is needed. It is needed for those who pay for education (tax payers) and the people who are educated (the students). The institutions that regulate education should be held accountable for the policies they enact as well as the government that approved those actions. “Of the total variance in mathematics achievement of 15-year-olds in the United States in 2004 only 8% was attributable to the actual quality of the education provided by the school, the results in science are similar” (111). This is an indictment of the American school system, it points out that standardized testing is in fact inaccurate and unnecessary.
“I was shocked! I couldn’t believe that what I do for kids was a reason to be teacher of the year. I do what I do for kids because I have a passion for helping kids. I knew from a young age I wanted to help children.” Mr. Ghasedi is still a little surprised he received this award. He is happy that people respect the work he is doing
What role and responsibility do individual teachers have in resolving the opportunity gap? Teachers have the responsibility to educate students and get additional help for students that may be behind. Using the necessary resources, we have to better educate our students. Teachers also are responsible with tracking student’s progress, to help try to get them at grade level or above.
As an education major at State College, I’ve decided to become a teacher for several reasons. As I progressed through elementary, middle, and high school, many of my teachers were great role models for me. This has inspired me to become a role model for someone in the near future. My love for science and math has also influenced my desire to teach and make a difference in a child’s life. I want to teach students the subjects that I love so much. I want the feeling that I helped a child accomplish or learn something they couldn’t understand. One of the main reasons I want to become an educator is because I feel education has really lost teachers who truly love teaching and those who truly love teaching and those who have the desire to make a difference. I feel I can really help make a difference in the education world and bring back the love to teach.
The illustrator George Evans once said, "Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way." Every child has the capability to learn, and as an educator it is my responsibility to know my students well in order to teach them well. Children are engaged and learning when the curriculum is designed with them in mind. Fitting curriculum to a student requires knowing his or her background, family, abilities, interests and difficulties. This requires being well versed in multicultural competencies, being aware of the fallacy of meritocracy, and having radical empathy. Classrooms are becoming more diverse, and teachers need to understand that students have lives outside of school that may differ from their own. These lives affect how they think, study and learn within the classroom. Therefore, conducting home visits provide a wealth of information that couldn’t be obtained from classroom interactions alone. Students are more likely to respond to my efforts as a teacher after I learn who they are as people and demonstrate that I care about their education. When curriculum is meaningful to students’ lives, it generates genuine interest in learning. By thoroughly knowing my students I will also be able to place expectations high enough to properly challenge them.
To begin out of the countless professions one has to chose from in the world today I have chosen to become a teacher. I have chosen to become a teacher because I myself am a product of some whom I consider to be the best teachers in the world. As a child in North Carolina I was inspired by a wonderful woman named Mrs. Hollyfield. Mrs. Hollyfield taught me that no star was too far out of reach, if I put my mind to accomplishing my goal I could make it. Mrs. Hollyfield inspired me to be the best I could be at anything I wanted to be. As I have grown I have had other important teachers, some whom I am surrounded by daily whom inspire me to set out to accomplish my dreams. These wonderful inspiring people in my life have led me to the decision of becoming a teacher.
In my life, my favorite teachers were always the ones who taught lessons inside and outside the classroom. They taught us about our past, our language and the world around us for tests and quizzes while also teaching us how to navigate through life with their lessons that weren’t needed for our grades. For me, I wanted to be that kind of person. I knew I wanted to help others when they needed help, and I knew I wanted to do that as a teacher.
Do you remember the teacher that inspired you to do your best? Or maybe the teacher who believed in you when the rest of the world had turned against you? Teachers have a way of touching students’ lives, whether in a large or very minute way. I can think of numerous times that a teacher made a difference in my life. I am so appreciative of them, and I want to do for other students what many of my teachers have done for me. That is why, after I obtain, both, my Bachelor and Master degrees, I plan to enter the teaching profession.
“Teach the children, so it will not be necessary to teach the adults” is a famous quote by our former president Abraham Lincoln. In modern days, we are schooling instead of educating. This produces an uninformed society who is trained to spit out information instead retaining it. My hometown, Scranton, also known as “the Electric City”, has an abundance of ignorant citizens. It was a very toxic community to grow up in. This affected the youth in the community by not projecting their potential into their minds. To have a well-educated populace, we need to make sure we graduate well-rounded youth after grade school. I believe this can be achieved by following common-core guidelines, while also striking their creativity within the subjects so that they are retaining information, not only memorizing it. I will discuss my beliefs on the roles of the teacher, the children as learners, the curriculum, and the purpose of schools in society.
“I wanted to become a teacher to be able to make a positive difference on the future of children. For me, it is fulfilling challenge, stimulating the next generation to become lifelong learners. I have always been grateful to my mom (who is a retired teacher) for implanting values in me. I feel I should contribute what I have learned and experienced over the years. This way I will be paying back and at the same time can fulfill my desire of enhancing the education system.”
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.
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.
It is a constant truth that technology is growing rapidly and it is opening up many opportunities for students as well as teachers. Through the use of the internet information that would take scholars months to acquire out and interpret can be found in less than a minute though a Google search and not only is the information their, but in many cases the information that you wanted is shown in bolded so it can even be found quicker.
A teacher is not what I have always wanted to be. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until I had taken several of my general studies classes that I made a commitment to teach. Having played football through middle school and high school, I just assumed that whatever I did would have to be related to football. It was, however, during a time of reflection that I thought about a former football coach and the rapport that he had with me and other players. He wanted to bring out the best in each of us. It was then that I realized that I wanted to do the same.
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.