I believe that teachers need to educate children as successful students and successful citizens. As I look back in time, I cannot recall all of courses that I’ve taken or all the teachers that I’ve encountered throughout my education. However, I still speak to a couple of teachers from my high school quite often. I feel that these teachers went above and beyond to make a difference in my life and I will never forget them for that. They weren’t just teachers who took the time to help me when I was struggling with something in class. They were teachers who challenged me and pushed me to reach my fullest potential, both as a student and as a citizen.
I believe that in order to educate successful students and citizens there are a few things that I need to do. I think that it is essential to connect with the students at their level, make things fun and interesting by relating learning to real life, let students learn through experience, be there for them at all times, give feedback, and push each student to achieve their own personal best.
The teachers who made a difference in my life followed the same guidelines. Keep in mind that both of these teachers were very different. While one was a hands-on type of teacher, the other ran more of a lecture style classroom. I feel that as a teacher, using these guiding principles I can incorporate many styles of teaching, fitting the needs of the many types of learners that exist.
Although I have a pragmatic approach to teaching, I think that I need to be flexible in order to achieve my goal of educating successful students and citizens. I feel that it’s crucial to be enthusiastic, motivating and relate to my students, while still maintaining a sense of authority and respect. I also believe in feedback and constructive criticism. If students get a good grade, but still get some questions wrong, I think that my job as an educator is more than to congratulate them on their success. I need to assure that they know why they got two questions wrong and how to do them correctly.
I feel that I will be well respected by my future students because of the way I plan on connecting with them while teaching them. I will probe my students’ minds and push them to analyze and investigate. I want to make them assure themselves by challenging what is being taught.
As a future educator I believe that it is my responsibility to connect with students and to help them be successful not only in school, but throughout life in general. I want to make a positive influence in my students’ lives the way my teachers have in mine. I want to be the teacher that the students don’t forget about. Instead, when they look back they can say “She went above and beyond for me.”