Memories of School

Motivation to Become a Teacher

What it means to become a teacher:

What is a teacher?

Being a teacher encompasses many things.  Some people in America say that being a teacher simply means being a glorified babysitter. Others may say that teachers are lazy people who only want long summer vacations. Granted, that may be true for some people who, in my opinion, should not be in this profession. Being a teacher is a serious and rewarding job when done correctly. Teachers shape the future of our country by building up its youth.  The impact that students have from their teachers in early education can influence how they live the rest of their lives. We hope they leave school with a positive impact. 

A good teacher does more than stand in the front of the classroom and explain the difference between addition and subtraction. Teachers wipe tears, give hugs and support, we believe in our students when no one else does, we inspire them to conquer the world, we show them how to think about life in a whole new light, we listen to our students when they are excited or sad, we put band aids on scraped knees, laugh with our class, make learning fun, and we push students to do their absolute best. These memories are ones that will shape students future and stay with them for the rest of their lives. 

My hopes for my future students:

It may seem like what we teach is irrelevant to some students. The question "when will I ever use this in my future?" is one that can be the hardest to answer. Yes, you may never need to know the capitol of Wyoming; however, the experience in learning is what I want my students to take away from my class. The curriculum is important, don't get me wrong, but what if one lesson sparks an interest in one student? All students are different and each teacher has to try to touch all 20 to 30+ students at the same time. I want each student to learn something from everything we do in the classroom. Each student will take something different from the lesson, but that is part of the beauty of being a teacher. I can watch each student grow individually and become their own person over the course of a year. 

The process of learning all these little facts and procedures teach students how to better learn what they will use later on. The basic principle of learning is taught in elementary school. Knowledge is a series of building blocks; without the foundation it becomes harder to continue building. In elementary school student come to understand what it means to pick out key words and how to use critical thinking. These things are essential in higher education. 

The main thing that I want my students to take away from my class is that they are capable of doing great things, and that limits are nothing compared to what they can achieve. I want my students to see the world as something to be explored. I want them to understand that there is so much more to this world than what they have seen. I want my students to learn to make goals and I want them to have the motivation to never give up. I want to prepare them for what is to come and I want to teach them how to work hard and not just get by. I want them to know what it's like to get back up and try again after they fail. I want them to make friends and I want them to figure out what is most valuable in their lives. I want them to make memories of their school days like I have, and I want those memories to carry out in their lives. I want them to graduate and go on to do whatever makes them happy. 

Memories of My Teachers and Their Lessons

My past experience in school regarding effective teacher qualities and characteristics. 

Like most students I have had both positive and negative experiences with my teachers. Upon reflecting on why some teachers were more successful in my schooling than others it really comes down to how they related with each student. All kids learn differently, which is partially why teaching is so hard.  The best teachers find a way everyone can learn effectively at the same time.  My favorite teacher in elementary school found a way to do this and all my classmates loved her. She made teaching fun and memorable. I saw her methods from the perspective of a student in 2nd grade and also from the perspective of a teacher when I was her intern in 10th grade.

 In second grade she made us feel like we were on top of the world when we did something right. When we got in trouble we knew it, but she made sure to let us know that we always had another chance to make it right. I was very talkative in elementary school, and the first time I got put at the "trouble table for talkative students" I cried until I was red in the face. The ugly, red, snotty, tear flooded, cry of pure embarrassment and disappointment. I still remember to this day how much it meant to me when she sat down and gave me her full attention and told me it was okay. She held me and told me that she loved me the way only a teacher can. As an 8 year old, simply knowing that your teacher isn't mad at you when you mess up, and knowing that she loves you and cares about you, can change the world. 

When she would teach we would always be interacting with each other and with her. Of course, there was lecture time and times when we would sit at our desks and do work, but even then we would write on the board and explain to the rest of the class what we were doing.  We had class discussions and we made everything personal. Her classroom was a place where we could share what we thought and talk about our ideas.  That year, my life at school was full of writing and acting out skits and plays, making things, using my creativity, building social skills, experiencing foreign things inside the classroom walls and building relationships. I tried new foods, heard different languages, used music in class, made things with my hands, read books for fun and fell in love with learning. All these things were not something I expected from school. I remember her class being so fun that I looked forward to going every day. I remember my best friend crying as we walked out the door on our last day of school. Our teacher touched our lives that year. She is someone I will never forget. 

Effective Instruction

In my second grade class every Friday we would have a special lesson called "Fun Friday." Each week we would learn about something different that day. Our reading lessons would lead up to whatever the topic was. We had different topics like spiders, Dr. Seuss and Hawaii. On these Fridays we would have special snacks like green eggs and ham, oreos with pretzels stuck in them to look like spiders and Hawaiian fruits. My teacher would decorate the room and pretend like everything was real. We experienced these things in a way that seemed real. It was like the walls of her classroom disappeared and everything was really there right before our eyes. 

On Hawaiian Fun Friday we came in and everything seems just like any other day. I was a little disappointed because we were told to tell our parents that we were actually going to Hawaii that day. Once we got back from our PE class our teacher was standing by the door greeting us with leis and kisses on the each cheek. our chairs were all lined up like we were in an airplane. The assistant teacher was their to be our airline attendant and take us to our seat. Once we sat down the TV came on and we watched our "airplane" fly from the States to Hawaii. Once we landed our teacher, our "Hawaiian tour guide" told us all there was to know about Hawaii. She fed us Hawaiian food and even cracked a real coconut to show us the milk inside.  I learned a lot from days like this and I will probably always remember them.  I always looked forward to Fridays, not because it was the start of the weekend, but because I got to go to school. 

What I will achieve by becoming a teacher:

Growing up I went through many different phases of what I wanted to be. I wanted to be an architect, I wanted to be a ballerina, I wanted to be a fashion designer and then I wanted to be a teacher. I didn't stick with the teaching idea because it was what I decided around the time I started thinking about colleges. I stuck with teaching because once I fell in love with it, I knew there was no going back. Nothing else would give me the satisfaction like teaching. I couldn't be happy doing anything else and no other job would make me feel like I was giving this world what I was created to give. I feel like I am called to teach kids. I have a heart for children and I want to be a part of their childhood. I want to help them become better people because some parents simply don't care. I am sensitive to how kids feel because even the smallest things at that age can consume their thoughts and lives. I want to do what I can to help and I hope that what I do will pay off in the future. Helping kids and the relationships I will form is more than enough reward for me.