It is only through raising expectations and striving for excellence that our children can reach their full potential. |
-Brad Henry
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As a teacher, I am an advocate for all children to succeed so that they can reach their full potential. In my classroom, I demonstrate the qualities of compassion, patience, and passion as I strive to lead my students to appreciate the power of knowledge. To achieve this goal, I emphasize the need for my students to be critical thinkers and to persevere through challenges. With student-centered lessons and differentiated instruction, I help each child at their level and support their academic progress. I also believe it is important to express that learning is a process, not a destination. I instill in my students that they are not defined by mistakes. Rather, mistakes are opportunities to keep growing in our knowledge and to keep raising our expectations for ourselves. When students progress in their knowledge and understanding of subject matter, I want to make sure that they recognize their achievement and that they are proud of this accomplishment.
As a teacher, I establish a positive classroom culture. I need my students to feel safe so that they are more motivated to take risks in their learning. It is my belief that a child does not care what you know until they know that you care about them. Forming a genuine, mutually respectful relationship with each child is the basis to a safe and productive learning environment. My role as a teacher then is to not only help students develop in academics, but to help them develop in social-emotional learning. As a teacher, I have a responsibility to be globally competent and for my students to see the value of this. I believe that this is vital because our global community is culturally diverse and we are all citizens of the world. By not teaching from an ethnocentric viewpoint and instead focusing on multiple perspectives and multiculturalism, I have a role in progressing society. I share my knowledge to my students, which helps them to be aware of societal issues, to see their role as a global citizen, and to contribute positively to the world around them. Teaching with a global context thus fosters the ability for students to think critically about their world, starting in their own neighborhood and reaching across the world. As a teacher, I am a member of a community of learners both with my students and my fellow educators. I have the roles of instructor, mentor, mentee, facilitator, and life-time learner. In my classroom, we are all learners and support each other. Within my school, I see my fellow teachers and administration as vital resources to collaborate with as we strive for each child to succeed. As teachers, we have the common goal to foster an educated community and an educated future—and I strive to show my students their role in this future. |