Why I've Choosen to be a Teacher

I believe that teaching is one of the most important professions that there is. Teachers shape the way of the future in more ways than one. Every student that comes into our classroom is someone that will be out in the world one day with their very own profession and goals. It is our job to provide these future leaders with an education that can get them wherever they want to go. It is our job to get those that aren't excited to be excited. We need to be creative and innovative and do whatever it takes to make sure that our students are a success in school and have the potential to be a success when they enter their career. Teachers should never underestimate their influence on their students, and I believe by entering the profession you should be willing to give it your best to help your students succeed. Many people believe teaching is an easy profession; however it is not, a teacher has to have a love and passion for what they do. I plan on doing these things and that is why I have chosen to be a teacher. I believe in my students and in return I want to help them to learn to believe in themselves.

My Teaching Philosophy

I believe that there are several important parts that make up a great teacher. A teacher never stops learning and should use that continuous knowledge in every way possible. Respect is always an important part of teaching, even with a class of very young children. Teachers should respect their students, their students' families, and their colleagues. Teachers are a role model to every one of their students and to other students. Teachers should always be honest to everyone they work with and set the best example that they can. A good teacher will bring out the strengths of each student and make each student feel good about themselves. A teacher should always help a student as needed. The learning environment in the classroom should be comfortable, fun, positive, and interesting so that each student can learn at their highest potential. All teachers should be creative to keep the students interested and make them eager to learn. Last but not least, I think teachers should enjoy their job! It reflects on how they teach and how the students learn.

Being a Life Long Learner

I feel that everyone should be life long learners, however it is very important for teachers to be life long learners. Being a life long learner means to continue to learn throughout one's life, even after they are out of school. Learning is an opportunity to challenge and better oneself. It is important for teachers to continue to learn because teaching is a profession that is always changing. Teachers need to learn right along side their students and can even learn things from their students. It is important for a teacher to model the learning process for their students through their own learning. This will help their own students become even better learners. There are many ways that teachers can continue to learn. Teachers can learn through their colleagues, students, research, classes, and making connections with other professionals around the world through networking. I plan to continue my learning after I graduate through all of these ways plus more. I feel as though learning never ends and it is very important for me to continue to do as much as possible to expand my knowledge.

Teaching Strategies in the Classroom

A teacher has to have strategies to make the classroom a successful place. They cannot just go into the classroom with no plans or strategies on how to teach the children. One strategy that I plan on using is open communication. I believe that there should be open lines of communication between teachers, students, and families. Another strategy that I plan on using is family involvement. I believe that teachers should try to involve families in every way possible. I think it is important to the student's learning for their family to be involved, it promotes self-esteem which promotes learning. One more strategy that I plan on using is hands-on learning. I feel that students learn better by doing things themselves than they do by being taught out of a book. I think that if students can see what is being learned for themselves, they will learn it quicker. These are just a few of the strategies that I plan on using in my future classroom.

Creativity in the Classroom

Creativity is a very important part of the classroom. It is important for teachers to be creative and for teachers to motivate their students to be creative. Every lesson that is taught should be creative, students will get bored if all of the lessons are the same and predictable. Students should be excited to learn and this can happen only if the lessons interest them. Keeping lessons interesting help students remember the information as well. Teachers should also motivate their students to be creative in everything that they do. This includes everything they do in and out of class, from art to writing. Children need to have their teacher motivate them and praise them on their work. Creativity is an integral part of children's lives and that should be displayed. I plan on using creativity in my lesson plans and motivating my students to be as creative as they can be.

Teaching in a Multicultural Diversity

The society that we live in has many diverse cultures within it. Teachers have to be able to teach in this type of society. In order to do this they first need to self-reflect and find their own racial identity development. They also then need to create a great relationship with everyone of their students. They should have a personal and trusting relationship with each one. They need to know each one of their students to know how each one of them learns best. They should also have high expectations for each one of their students. If they have high expectations then their students will have something to live up to. They also need to focus on cultural competence. The teacher should be incorporating all cultures and have the attention of all students. It is important for teachers to be able to teach in a diverse society so that no students get left behind and become unsuccessful. Teachers are a major part of children's lives and just one teacher can make a huge change in a child's life. That is why it is important for teachers to have the highest expectations for everyone of their students.

Making Connections Around the World

It is very important for children to have connections all over the world, so that they can learn about all different cultures. It is important for the teacher to incorporate different perspectives and the ideas of others into their classroom. They can do this by communicating with different teachers and classes all around the world. There are many ways that they can do this, two of which are blogs and Skype. I plan on using both of these in my classroom to communicate with teachers and classes around the world. Every child learns differently and they could learn something from another teacher better, so I could then get tips from them on how to teach that particular child. This will also allow students to learn things that they may have never learned otherwise. Students need to learn about all different cultures not just their own because there are many cultures just where they live and even more in the world and who knows where they will be living when they grow up. Making connections around the world can make the classroom a diverse and interesting in many different ways.

Using Technology in the Classroom

Technology is used all the time in everyday life, much more than what people realize. There are advances in technology everyday and children start using technology younger and younger everyday. This means that technology needs to be incorporated into all aspects of our lives, especially in our schools. If students do not learn technology in school, when they get a job that uses technology they will be lost. Children are starting to teach themselves whether they learn it in school or not and technology is what holds their interest. It is better to use technology in the classroom and keep them interested, than it is to have them bored and not learning anything. There are many ways technology can be used in the classroom. Some of them include blogs, iTunesU, Skype, podcasts, videocasts, and Smart-boards. I plan to use all of these technological tools in my classroom to help my students enjoy their learning experience.