My Why
I believe teachers play a critical role in a child’s life, almost as much as a parent. I never truly understood the impact of a good teacher until I met my elementary school art teacher; she built a relationship with me beyond the simple student and teacher relationship, she became a friend. She always pushed me to go above and beyond what was required, which encouraged me too. Because of her, I’ve always wanted to become an art teacher. Throughout my education years, I’ve met many teachers I’d consider good and many art teachers who’ve only inspired me more to become a teacher myself. Being an artist I know that I learn things better with hands-on real-life examples, but I also know that every individual student is different in their abilities and the way they learn. Some students are very straight forward, traditional, textbook learners; others are more cooperative, hands-on learners; while some are even a mix of both types of learners. In the end, everyone learns differently because learning is an individual experience and should be catered to the individual. I hope observing classrooms will help me understand what it takes to be a teacher as well as see how students learn, which will allow me to become a better teacher who can cater to my students and build a better relationship with them.
I believe it is easier to teach students when you have a strong relationship with them, a more positive relationship will make a student want to pay attention and learn from you; if you have a negative relationship with your students they can be more stand-offish and become difficult to teach. Teachers can be like a second set of parents for some students, similar parents teachers are there to guide our future generation from youth to adulthood. My previous teachers have always pushed me to do more than required and to do better than what I believed I could do. At the time I thought they were picking on me, but it was because they saw my true worth and knew I was capable of more than I believed. This has made me extremely grateful for what my teachers have taught me. Them believing in me made me believe in myself. I would like to be a teacher that can constantly motivate my students to do there very best and bring out their true potential within them. Teachers are supposed to guide our students into working adults in the future that’s why it's our job to teach them the necessary materials to allow them to become capable of working and living in our society.
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Many students perceive school in a negative light, but if we changed the way students view schools then we could also improve the number of students regularly attending school, graduating, and continuing higher education. Since I believe students learn differently I will try to balance lectures with hands-on activities and try to make sure that all my students are learning comfortably and aren't falling behind. School should feel safe and make you feel welcomed. I will aim to make my classroom feel like a comfortable and friendly, safe zone where students can be open with me and fellow classmates. Schools should prepare students for the future. To help prepare I will continuously learn new knowledge and techniques, while actively learn from my students on how I can become a better teacher.
Schools in the future face many challenges one major challenge will be technology. Chromebooks, smartboards, and Google applications have already made their way into the classrooms. With the constantly evolving technology, it is expected that more of it will soon be used in the classroom. Because of the constant use of technology students are more against reading textbooks and writing papers by hand. New technology makes it harder to adapt and use traditional teaching methods. As an art teacher, new technologies can be an advantage in the classroom because it will allow students to practice with digital arts and CGI (computer-generated images). It could also cause problems when it comes to teaching traditional art such as figure drawing, painting, charcoal and many more techniques that authentication can’t be replicated digitally.
Not only would I like to become an art teacher but more specifically I would like to be a high school art teacher. For my observation placement, I wouldn't mind being at a middle school or an elementary. Since I've had previous experiences being a teacher’s assistant at an elementary and I really enjoyed it. For a specific class, I would love to be placed in an art class. I hope that I learn how to teach better, what to do when a student is struggling, what the steps are to help them and adapt for future students. From this experience, I would like to take in-depth knowledge about teaching and what I need to do to become a teacher.
My Why Recharged
My observation placement took place at Madison Elementary, for me it was a great experience and it helped me learn about being a teacher. When I began this Introduction to Education course I believed that teachers were like a second parent to students, because like a parent, teachers aid and guide the development of students. During my original “My Why” essay I stated that during my observation I hope to learn what it takes to be an effective teacher, how I can cater to my students' individual needs and diversity in the classroom, and how I can build professional relationships with my student and engage all students.
An effective teacher is required to be academically able, have command of the subjects they teach, care about the well-being of children, and can produce results. The attributes of an effective teacher that I have observed in my class are as followed. Effective teachers should have personal qualities that allow them to develop authentic and caring relationships with their students, parents, and colleagues. In my placement, I noticed that the students would tell my CT, Mrs.S stories about their personal life and she would talk about her son often. Another attribution is effective teachers should create a classroom environment that models social justice in a democratic society. In my placement, Mrs.S emphasized the importance of students advocating for themselves and recognizing when they would do something wrong. She often showed Second Step lessons which would show the student problem-solving skills and other important personal life skills students need to succeed in society. Finally, effective teachers consider learning a lifelong process and they can diagnose situations and adapt and use their professional knowledge appropriately to enhance student learning. Mrs.S often went to meetings and collaborated with other teachers in her grade level to plan lessons and learn new ways to teach the children. By observing Mrs.S I learned many ways I can be an effective teacher.
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Teachers should also be able to engage students and motivate them to do their best. There are many things teachers can do to keep students engaged, in my placement, I observed a few different methods used by mt CT. In order to keep students interested in learning, she made the activities fun for the students and even created challenges to motivate students extrinsically. For example, during ST Math she would give candy to the boy and girl who completed the most puzzles in the time given. This worked to motivate students to quietly work and get as many puzzles done as they can. I learned that students learn differently and are motivated differently, as a teacher I should find what works best for my student. Some students in my placement were very bright and knew what they were doing but they did not believe in themselves enough, a teacher's support is very important and can motivate students to do their best. I stated in my original “My Why” that I had many teachers who would push me to do my best and do more than what was required. These teachers motivated me to try my hardest, in my placement, I would motivate my student by offering praise when they would solve problems they did not think they could do, saying things like “ look at you, you know what you are doing” or “ what did you mean you can’t do it? You did great” simple praise like this allowed my students to believe in themselves even when I was not present.
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There are many strategies teachers can use to manage a classroom successfully. One I’ve
observed heavily was establishing rules and procedures as well as teaching them. My CT heavily went over the rules and she always made sure the students knew them. She also prepared for downtime and transitions heavily to make sure students would not have free time to do whatever they please and they are always doing something slightly academic. My favorite downtime prep would be the Brain Breaks which were quick games the students would play that were fun and educational.
By the end of the course, I still would like to become a teacher and I do admire the firm but kind philosophy if done correctly, I personally do not think I would have the same philosophy as a teacher though, my philosophy would be more of a mutual respect philosophy. I will be kind if you are kind and i will be firm if you are not.