Of course, a solid educational foundation is crucial for becoming an independent member of our society who has all the tools necessary to achieve their goals and maintain a comfortable life. Every student arrives in classrooms each year with their own strengths and their own room for growth. The learning that can be done for each student crosses the academic, social, and emotional.
I believe each student has their own journey every school year where the lessons they will need the most for future success are very personalized. For example, while two students may struggle with the same assignment in a class, one student’s main takeaway may be a greater understanding not only of the content of that assignment, but also in building connections to other topics or disciplines. Another student, however, may master that same content through building collaborative relationships with their peers to get additional support that they need. Each student can master the course content, and their individual experience can help them grow in areas that they need the most.
My role, as teacher, is to help students identify the areas where they can grow. All students will work toward the class learning objectives, and each will have their own rich, personal journey of reaching those goals. And as a computer science teacher, I do not expect every student to pursue careers directly related to computer science, but I know that the lessons they take away from our time in class can help them toward our ultimate goal: for students to achieve their hopes and dreams.
And a student can only be successful in mastering new skills and knowledge if they have the confidence in themselves to do so. Skills are not something we are born with, but things that are learned, and that process will naturally have missteps and setbacks. Just because there are points of struggle does not mean that a student is incapable of mastering a skill or concept. This can be particularly challenging for adolescents to understand and accept. As a teacher, I know that I have an important role in helping students stay focused and remember their ability and potential to succeed, especially if the subject is new to them.
I believe students deserve a classroom and treatment of kindness and care. I believe that the students of today should have safer, better lives than my and previous generations. I understand that every student will make mistakes, and the choices they make in response to those mistakes can provide some of the greatest opportunities to learn.
And I believe that every day, everyone in our classroom does their best. Because the students deserve the best.