As a prospective teacher, I believe it is extremely important for me to both observe the teachers and environments I am placed in, and to reflect and expand on what I believe being a good teacher entails. While there are many characteristics that define a “good” teacher, I do not believe there is one set model. In my opinion, a good teacher is one who takes an active part in their student's learning, but is able to distance themselves enough to let their students seek knowledge for themselves. A good teacher is one who is completely approachable; one who is compassionate towards their students, but knows when to be firm. Most importantly, a good teacher is one who is constantly learning and evolving, in order to benefit themselves and their students. This is the kind of teacher I aspire to be. After spending a year and a half in this program, I have seen examples of both good and bad teachers; the good teachers have reinforced my opinions of what a good teacher should be, and the bad teachers have given me numerous examples of what not to do in the classroom. I definitely feel as if I have been given an excellent example of what a good teacher is, and should be able to follow that example in my own teaching.
My aspirations of being a teacher were not intrinsic, nor immediate. Though I have always wanted to work with children, the start of the long journey towards my career began with hopes of being a speech language pathologist. My discovery of how much science I would need in order to accomplish that task brought that road to a screeching halt. Since I have always loved the English classes I have been in, and happened to be extremely good at them, and did not want to give up working with children, I decided I wanted to teach. With the help and guidance of numerous teachers and professors, both past and present, I believe I am well on my way to becoming the kind of teacher I want to be. Though this may not have been my original intention, it is now my only goal. After the experiences I have had thus far in this program, I am extremely happy that my original career choice did not work out.
Thankfully, I have many motivating factors which consistently keep me on my path to success; my first and foremost, however, is my desire to help children learn. As cliché as it may sound, the children of today are definitely the gateway to the future; their education is both necessary and vital in creating a better future, for them as well as for us. The mere thought of being able to have some part of the educational process these children have to go through is enough to excite me. I have observed numerous ways of being part of this educational process, and have been able to distinguish the ones that I feel are effective from the ones that I feel are merely time fillers. I want to instill the importance of education in my students, and show them that they are capable of completing anything they put their minds to. My passion for knowledge motivates me every single day, not only to learn, but to teach others as well. I would love nothing better than to pass that insatiable thirst for education on to the children I teach.
Where there is motivation, there are also goals. I believe it is every beginning teacher's dream to have all of their students comprehend and enjoy the material they will be studying; however, this is not always the case. Therefore, I think that if I reach seventy five percent of the students in my class, I will be doing a good job. My goal, however, is to have all of my students succeed, and to make the material interesting enough that all of my students will be enthralled with learning. Though this is not an easy task, I believe that through my creativity and cultural awareness of what students are interested in today, I will be able to mold my lessons into works of art that students will be more than happy to participate in. Through this program, I have had the ability to create these lessons and explore different possibilities; now, in the upcoming semester, I will be able to put these lessons to the test. My major goal is to be for my students what my English teachers were for me; an inspiration, a friend, a role model. I want to be the reason why some of my students decide to go into teaching. I believe that through my hard work, dedication, and perseverance, I will be able to accomplish these goals.
Unfortunately, there will be numerous obstacles that will stand in the way of achieving what I hope to accomplish within my teaching career. Topics such as politics, gay and lesbian rights, and religion have been controversial since the time I went to school, even before. As a new teacher, I will be struggling with the dichotomy of what my school district thinks is right to teach, and what I personally believe should be taught in the classroom. Though my feelings on the subject may seem naïve, I believe that there can be a happy medium between what I am expected to teach, and what I want to teach. I feel that the teaching of such subjects in the classroom is not only important, it is essential; however, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach these topics. There should be an air of sensitivity when bringing up such subjects in the classroom. This is to say that as a teacher, I feel that all sides of each subject must be presented, so that the students are not only well informed but are not pressured to make decisions based on what I feel is right. I believe that it is my responsibility as a teacher to inform my students of both ends of a topic; it is then their responsibility to discern what they think is right.
Though I also believe that it is a student's responsibility to perform well on standardized tests, I feel that the teacher should be responsible for providing students with the materials necessary to succeed. Through informational courses regarding standardized tests, I have unwillingly succumbed to the fact that I will have to prepare my students to take them. Having said that, I do not believe that standardized tests are an accurate portrayal of a student's success or failure11. Though giving each student the same test eliminates the possibility of “favorites”, it also eliminates the diversity amongst those students; that is to say, standardized tests are taking away from the idea of Bloom's taxonomy, that different students may learn in different ways. In addition, I do not believe it is fair to give an English Language Learner, who is neither familiar with the American school system nor our native tongue, the same test as a student who has lived here their whole life. Though standardized tests may have seemed to be a good idea in foresight, it is not so12. It is part of my job, however, to make sure that my students are both aware and prepared when it comes to standardized testing; though I may not enjoy it, my job will depend on it.
While I realize that there are many obstacles I will have to face while teaching, I believe that the hard work will be worth the reward. Aside from being a celebrity, I believe that every job has its ups and downs; and even that career has its problems. Though I may feel that I was not “born to teach”, it has been instilled in me throughout my school career. With the help and guidance of family, friends, teachers, and counselors, I have realized that this is truly my calling; I cannot think of anything else I would rather do. I know in my heart that I am working towards a goal that is greater than anything I thought I could accomplish. I also know that I will accomplish that goal. It is a good feeling to know that the work I am doing now will influence my students for the rest of my career; though I am terrified, I am using that terror as a motivator, and will stop at nothing to be the best teacher I can possibly be.
