Writing a statement of this nature requires a great deal of reflection upon what I have learned so far in my five plus years of teaching, my experience working as substitute teacher, and upon my educational courses for my two master’s degrees. It also makes me think back to my years as a student to consider what worked and what didn’t. So, in addressing what I believe to be the purpose of education and the roles of the teacher and student, there are many factors to consider, all of which I hope will make me the best teacher that I can possibly be.
I teach because I believe that the children of America are one of our greatest resources. I teach because I believe that I have the talent and ability to help my students learn and become well-rounded individuals. I teach because I believe that all children deserve respect, caring and consistency in their classroom. I agree with George Morrison regarding the purpose of education. To paraphrase, he found that the purpose of education is to educate all students to their fullest potential, to instill a love of learning, to prepare them for responsible democratic living, to educate students of good moral character, and to ensure that educations are well-rounded. (Morrison, 2009, p. 78) I believe that students should try to reach their fullest potential, become lifetime learners, be responsible and demonstrate good morals.
Children learn in a variety of ways. In one course, Classroom Teaching Skills, we looked at different psychological elements to learn how we learn, so that we could try to understand how our students will learn. We looked at environmental stimuli and their impact. Regarding emotional stimuli, I learned that I am self-motivated, but I learned that others can be parent or teacher-motivated. As far as sociological stimuli go, I think it is important that students get exposure to working in many types of groups. As for physical stimuli, I am a visual learner, with some auditory and tactile/kinesthetic tendencies thrown in for good measure. The multiple intelligences test revealed my greatest strengths were logical and naturalistic, followed by existential, kinesthetic and verbal strength. There will be many students who are much more auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, right-brained, and impulsive than I am, and I will use this self-knowledge to help me understand my students and provide a variety of learning experiences so that they can learn in ways that are conducive to their learning styles.
My role as an educator is to help my students achieve the goals I have for them, the goals of the school and the government’s goals and standards. My role as an effective educator includes being many things to many people, such as counselor, role model, problem solver, manager, and a good communicator. I like what Mary Ginley wrote in her essay, “Thirty-five years later, I still get out of bed every day and head to school, try to figure out what I can do to connect kids with one another and with learning.” (Ginley, 2005).
I believe that all children can learn with the proper environment, a highly qualified teacher and a desire to learn. I believe that effective classroom management is essential to successful learning. I believe that using a wide variety of instructional strategies is important, as it keeps learning fresh and interesting, and reaches out to the different learning styles of the students. When given the opportunity to give input for curriculum design, I want to make the curriculum age- appropriate, engaging, challenging, and fun. I believe assessments are important to determine whether the students are meeting the educational goals. Again, I believe there are a variety of ways to assess the knowledge gained. In additional to traditional assessments, teachers can use student portfolios, media projects, and oral presentations, to name a few. Often, teachers must be expert jugglers, balancing the individual needs of each student with the whole class. Often, just a few minutes one-on-one with a child or working with a small group of children as they rotate through stations, can help a teacher connect with a student. Each child has a unique gift to bring to the class, and those gifts need to be identified and celebrated. I want my class to be a community of learners.
The role of the student in their education is to try to learn. I expect students to put forth their best effort. I think students should feel as if they are on the same team as their teacher and that the goal is that everyone learns. It is great if the students have suggestions on ways to improve the learning process. If a teacher is focused on student-centered teaching, the focus is where it should be, on the student.
A teacher’s beliefs and values greatly affect his/her teaching. The philosophy behind how and why a teacher teaches is important. I teach because of the great potential in each child and because I believe that I can inspire students to reach that potential. The role of the teacher is to facilitate learning in all children. The student’s role is to try his/her best and to discover what he/she is passionate about and pursue it. Learning should be a life-long adventure.
References
Morrison, G. (2009). Teaching in America. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
Nieto, S. and Ginley, M. (ed.). (2005). Saving the world one child at a time, Why we teach (169-177). New York: Teachers College Press.
I teach because I believe that the children of America are one of our greatest resources. I teach because I believe that I have the talent and ability to help my students learn and become well-rounded individuals. I teach because I believe that all children deserve respect, caring and consistency in their classroom. I agree with George Morrison regarding the purpose of education. To paraphrase, he found that the purpose of education is to educate all students to their fullest potential, to instill a love of learning, to prepare them for responsible democratic living, to educate students of good moral character, and to ensure that educations are well-rounded. (Morrison, 2009, p. 78) I believe that students should try to reach their fullest potential, become lifetime learners, be responsible and demonstrate good morals.
Children learn in a variety of ways. In one course, Classroom Teaching Skills, we looked at different psychological elements to learn how we learn, so that we could try to understand how our students will learn. We looked at environmental stimuli and their impact. Regarding emotional stimuli, I learned that I am self-motivated, but I learned that others can be parent or teacher-motivated. As far as sociological stimuli go, I think it is important that students get exposure to working in many types of groups. As for physical stimuli, I am a visual learner, with some auditory and tactile/kinesthetic tendencies thrown in for good measure. The multiple intelligences test revealed my greatest strengths were logical and naturalistic, followed by existential, kinesthetic and verbal strength. There will be many students who are much more auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, right-brained, and impulsive than I am, and I will use this self-knowledge to help me understand my students and provide a variety of learning experiences so that they can learn in ways that are conducive to their learning styles.
My role as an educator is to help my students achieve the goals I have for them, the goals of the school and the government’s goals and standards. My role as an effective educator includes being many things to many people, such as counselor, role model, problem solver, manager, and a good communicator. I like what Mary Ginley wrote in her essay, “Thirty-five years later, I still get out of bed every day and head to school, try to figure out what I can do to connect kids with one another and with learning.” (Ginley, 2005).
I believe that all children can learn with the proper environment, a highly qualified teacher and a desire to learn. I believe that effective classroom management is essential to successful learning. I believe that using a wide variety of instructional strategies is important, as it keeps learning fresh and interesting, and reaches out to the different learning styles of the students. When given the opportunity to give input for curriculum design, I want to make the curriculum age- appropriate, engaging, challenging, and fun. I believe assessments are important to determine whether the students are meeting the educational goals. Again, I believe there are a variety of ways to assess the knowledge gained. In additional to traditional assessments, teachers can use student portfolios, media projects, and oral presentations, to name a few. Often, teachers must be expert jugglers, balancing the individual needs of each student with the whole class. Often, just a few minutes one-on-one with a child or working with a small group of children as they rotate through stations, can help a teacher connect with a student. Each child has a unique gift to bring to the class, and those gifts need to be identified and celebrated. I want my class to be a community of learners.
The role of the student in their education is to try to learn. I expect students to put forth their best effort. I think students should feel as if they are on the same team as their teacher and that the goal is that everyone learns. It is great if the students have suggestions on ways to improve the learning process. If a teacher is focused on student-centered teaching, the focus is where it should be, on the student.
A teacher’s beliefs and values greatly affect his/her teaching. The philosophy behind how and why a teacher teaches is important. I teach because of the great potential in each child and because I believe that I can inspire students to reach that potential. The role of the teacher is to facilitate learning in all children. The student’s role is to try his/her best and to discover what he/she is passionate about and pursue it. Learning should be a life-long adventure.
References
Morrison, G. (2009). Teaching in America. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.
Nieto, S. and Ginley, M. (ed.). (2005). Saving the world one child at a time, Why we teach (169-177). New York: Teachers College Press.