“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
~John Cotton Dana
Education has no end. I believe that I am a student, just like my students, and together we will tackle our education setting for now, knowing that it will only continue. It is my responsibility to foster a love for learning in each of my students and I believe the only way to do that is to create an environment where every child is able to learn and be successful.
Learning is an active process, one in which no person can stand by passively. I recognize that many students come into the classroom with the desire to let their education pass them by without actively engaging in it, but I think that comes from their previous knowledge and school experience. It is my goal and duty to create a classroom environment where each student feels safe and comfortable. A classroom where they feel they can break through whatever barriers are hindering them to actively participate in their education.
My students are just as much teachers to me as I am a teacher to them. I will be open to new experiences as they come and I will approach them with my students in mind. I will show my students that I am human and I make mistakes and learn right along with them. Through this I will show them that education never stops and even as an adult it is important to keep pushing yourself to grow cognitively, personally, emotionally, and socially.
In my classroom I will not simply tell or show my students, I will help them discover. I will use things such as group work, problem-based learning and discovery to help to develop understanding for themselves. I will call upon them to be scaffolding to each other and provided support when needed. In creating an environment where we are all learning together, we will develop a stronger sense of learning.
For a student who is seven, eight, or nine years old, one year is a long time considering how long their life has been. I feel a great responsibility to use that year for the best and to help shape my students into the best they can be. Personal growth is a huge aspect of their development of their childhood and my classroom will be a place that celebrates that. The lessons that I will engage my students in will help them accommodate new knowledge into their own personal, emotional, and social growth. I believe that school success is one of the most important things that shape a child’s self-esteem, but only if they are the ones who determine what is successful in their eyes.
I believe that history and culture is a very important aspect of the classroom. I will strive to make my classroom and environment where culture is celebrated and help each student to build on their own personal culture. To move forward we must know where we have come from, whether that is an ethnic group, a neighborhood, a religion, or an idea. To learn more about ourselves we must understand what elements make us who we are and I don’t think there is a time that is too early to start exploring that.
My classroom will be an environment where every child can succeed but my teaching will also be varied so that every child has the opportunity to learn. I believe that not every child learns the same way and not every child has the same intelligence so it is unfair to me to teach one way or to a certain group of students. Learning is only strengthened when it is looked at through multiple lenses so I will provide my students with ample opportunities to work with information in a way that each one of them can understand. I also think it is important for me to push my students to strive to learn in different ways, strengthening their overall learning.
As a way of strengthening student investment in learning I will show my students how their learning translates into and is applicable to their daily lives. I will use the knowledge that they already have and build upon it so that it is more useful in the future. By tying learning to their lives, I hope to facilitate a social and cultural competence that translates into their daily life. I will teach academic lessons but I will help each student turn that into a life lesson. Much of this translation into life lessons will not happen based on my plan, it will happen based on my interactions with my students and my ability to know exactly who they are and what they need.
I believe that society as a whole, but especially my classroom and school in general are no place for stereotypes or discrimination. I will meet these problems head on and will provide opportunities for each child to learn something from each other. Differences will exist in my classroom, but differential treatment will not. I will strive to treat each child equally and encourage each student to do the same. It is only when we can work together as a community that we can accomplish this goal.
Above all, I believe that teaching comes from the heart. I will smile continuously, laugh often, and let my students inspire me into becoming the best teacher I can be. I recognize that I will never be the best teacher, but I will always be taking steps toward it.
“We can teach from our experience, but we cannot teach experience.”
~Sasha Azevedo
Lauren Sangster
Unless otherwise noted, all images and ideas are property of Lauren Sangster.
Last updated:
December 14, 2009 10:27 AM