As I dive into my 19th year in education, I truly feel that I can offer a variety of things to a variety of students. Over the years I have had the pleasure of teaching students from ALL backgrounds, regardless of race, income, popularity, ability, etc. These experiences have proven to me time and time again that ALL students can learn with the right support, whether it be their own self-determination, involvement from home, or me being able to click with them. Sometimes it only takes one of these things, and sometimes it takes all three. It is my goal to ensure that all the students that pass through my door get an individual 100% effort on my part to help them learn. I pledge to work toward getting to know each student individually and to be flexible to provide the support that each one needs to be successful.
In my classroom, I believe daily participation and being able to verbally express oneself is important. I work to make opportunities for students to DO, instead of just sit and listen, as well as relate our class topics to real world issues/situations/problems/etc. I want them to feel that the things we cover in class are dynamic, and up for debate. Sure, there are facts and names and dates that we can't change or dispute, but the impact, the causes, and the solutions are definitely debatable and can be impactful on all of us. Social studies is often considered as a boring subject where we just learn about boring old men, but I want each student to find something they can discuss, dispute, honor, question, or even change.
I hope that my students will leave my classroom with an understanding of empathy, responsibility, character, and empowerment. All of us in society need to realize people may have differing viewpoints than us, and that actually understanding these views and WHY people may feel differently is so important to that discourse. I hope that my classroom is a place where we can begin to do so. I also want students to practice and be held to responsible behavior, in the forms of respect, meeting deadlines, preparing for big moments, and representing themselves well. In doing so, we prep them for some real world elements they are sure to face, but I also understand that teens are busier now than ever before and with the proper communication I am willing to discuss and be flexible in understanding and coordinating with the needs of my students and parents. I hope that I can encourage, and model strong character within my students as well. Treatment of others, academic integrity, and good citizenship will all be discussion and action points within my classroom. We all have a responsibility to be kind to one another, daily/weekly/monthly/etc and that attitude will go a long way in society today. Finally, I want students to be empowered. I want all students to know they do have a voice and they should use it when they feel that something unreasonable is being enforced upon them. I want to encourage them to use that voice through responsible and respectful means to get their points across, or to facilitate change within their groups, organizations, etc whether they be big or small.
Overall, I greatly enjoy teaching high school students. After 19 years, I can honestly stay I enjoy it more now than I did in year one.