There is no defining moment in my life which inspired me to become a teacher. For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn towards working with children. After spending countless hours babysitting my younger siblings, tutoring students, and volunteering with after-school programs, I cannot imagine spending my life another way.
Teachers play a crucial part of ensuring a child a successful future. Some people argue that "success" is academic, and can be attained through a college degree. Others might view success as having a high salary job. For my students to be successful, this simply means that I want them to live happy, comfortable, knowledge-enriched lives. The reason I decided to teach at the elementary school level was that I want to inspire students to become confident learners. My goal is to engage students with fun, purposeful activities and encourage them to think both creatively and critically, even beyond the classroom walls.
"Teamwork!"
I believe that students learn the most when they are comfortable with their surroundings. A classroom is a welcoming place for all students to share ideas and grow together. This means that my role as a teacher is to introduce students to a safe learning environment. In a classroom, everyone must foster the basic principle of respect. All teachers are prominent role models and their actions have lasting effects on students. Modeling appropriate behavior for children influences how they themselves will behave. By giving respect to my pupils, and expecting their respect in return, the classroom becomes a safe-haven for dignity.
Elementary education requires teaching the core curriculum material. Beyond this, though, an elementary classroom is the starting place for individualization. Even at an early age, students may develop a particular interest in science or social studies. Students start taking responsibility in their study routines, and begin to mature into young adolescents. Through democratic classroom ideals, I strike a balance between providing instruction and allowing students to develop their own learning experience. As the head of the classroom, I guide students through academics along while teaching life lessons. Young students in my classroom will learn more than just the mandatory criteria. They will experience education as a social institution where they learn how to interact with other people, take care of personal belongings, organize their time efficiently, and learn how to be morally good members of society. Each of these learning experiences relies on my classroom's cornerstone principle of respect. I will educate my students on the importance of respecting other people, materials, and themselves. Especially for elementary education, it is imperative to teach students values which they will continue to uphold throughout their lives.
"Bee respectful!"
Learning academics and morals depends entirely on interest; if a student is fully engaged, they will enjoy the learning process so much more. Teachers must make academic subjects seem appealing to the students. I try to keep an upbeat, vivacious attitude in the classroom. If students see how much fun their teacher has reading, then they might share her enthusiasm. My excitement for learning is transferred to my students through stimulating lessons because they are the participants. My role is to guide them toward higher-level thinking skills and encourage questions which will motivate their learning. I hope to spread this passion to my students and have them continually devoted to learning.
"Always keep asking questions!"My pedagogy is structured around my personal interactions with children, and my own experiences watching and helping them learn. I will strive to give my students full, personalized support. While one method of kinesthetic learning may not appease to everyone, my teaching strategies will vary. I will provide students with the best possible means of learning, according to their individual necessities. My goal is to assist students by encouraging critical thinking and problem solving. I will lead the student to the correct answer by providing them with basic components. If a student is unsure how to spell a word, I help him/her to slowly sound out the letter sounds, one by one. My job as a teacher is not to spout out answers, but to use creative means to help students help themselves. Teaching methods will remain flexible and readily adaptable to accommodate my students' different learning styles. Despite which students I am teaching, my teaching philosophy will promise a classroom of respectfulness, passion, and unconditional support.
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