My decision to pursue a career in Elementary Education is due in part to my desire to create a positive impact in the life of a child. As we grow up and move through different phases of our lives we forget where and how we learned what we know now. We forget what shaped us and what helped us get through difficult times, for me, it was school. School was the place where I could go to feel safe and cared for while receiving an education that was engaging and effective. I believe I can accomplish these things in my future classroom by continuing to improve and adjust my teaching to changing environments and building a classroom management plan to meet the needs of my students.

Accepting & Embracing Student Diversity and Builiding Relationships

In a country where there is so much cultural diversity, we must be aware that diverse students will make up a majority of our classrooms. As future educators, I believe that one of our main goals should be to ensure that every student is academically successful and feels safe in the classroom whether they be a cultural minority or not. Being able to embrace, practice, and be open to learning about cultural differences provides teachers with information they did not have before and will oftentimes lead to an advantage in building a strong relationship with these students. Effective teachers recognize that building trusting relationships with students means putting in the time and effort to get to know them. These teachers know that they are not just teaching reading, arithmetic, science, or Spanish to a class of 20-35 students. They are teaching 20-35 young people who bring their own personal issues with them into the classroom (Canter, 2006). I believe that many students who are not accustomed to being in a new country, state, city, etc. can experience a feeling of being unaccepted, confused, or embarrassed for being different. As culturally responsive teachers we need to be able to create an environment in which a child feels comfortable enough to want to learn regardless of their differences from others. By creating a space where a child feels welcomed, we now have the potential to build connections with our students and possibly encourage them to participate in the classroom and become academically successful. I believe that a teacher cannot be successful unless their students are successful. 

Engaging, Diverse, and Effective Lessons

One of my core beliefs is that I will do whatever it takes to engage my students in the lessons I am teaching. Schools exist and teachers are hired for one reason only – to help students learn and achieve (Wong & Wong, 2009). I will help my students succeed by providing them with the utmost effective and thought out lesson plans. I will plan lessons with every student in mind to meet their needs. The more a lesson is improved based on a child’s needs, the more the child will become academically successful which is one of my main goals as a teacher. I am certain that children are more motivated to learn when they enjoy and are engaged in what is being taught. Planning lessons with every student in mind to meet their needs allows teachers to develop an engaging and memorable lesson. Although it is tough to accomplish, it is not impossible. Success is achieved when teachers write lessons with crystal clear objectives and precise instructions so that students understand what the outcome or result of the lesson will be (Wong & Wong, 2009).

Managing Procedures

I believe that creating a classroom management plan is one of the most important things to create before entering your classroom. A successful classroom management plan provides our students with organization and boundaries that are needed in order to have an environment where learning can take place. In this plan I will create classroom procedures, the procedures I will implement into my classroom include how we will begin and end our days, how we will care for our classroom, and how I will gain their attention. Although these procedures will require a great amount of structure and routines, I believe that I can accomplish this by being consistent and constantly improving my mistakes. Effective teachers continue to learn and make choices based upon that knowledge (Wong & Wong 2009).

The impact of a teacher on their students is something that will stick with them for the rest of their lives and will inspire them to want to learn, we are after all teaching and shaping the next generation. 

References

Carter, Lee (2006) Classroom Management for Academic Success. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2018). The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher (5^th Edition). Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.