As an African-American woman with a learning disability, coming up in the public schools system wasn't always easy. I learned in elementary school that not every teacher is here for the right reasons and don't want to see all of their students succeed. That drove me to become an advocate for educational equality which means inclusiveness for all races and (dis)abilities. This is something that I can integrate into my teaching by making sure that I never treat students differently. Kids may be naïve but they know when someone is treating them unfairly. Alternatively, this lesson has taught me how to integrate different methods into my teaching so that every students feels represented in my lessons. I can use this to help both my peers and my students become more inclusive and less biased.

As an upcoming teacher it's important to understand your weaknesses, one of mine is a lack of patience. I believe patience is an extremely important trait to have when it comes to educating children. In order to learn this, I feel like I need to be put into the classroom setting and learn as I go. This is a trait that I believe is built upon and by learning to be more patient, I can grow in my field and connect to my students better.

I believe that the purpose of school is to educate our future leaders and provide them with the tools necessary to become successful in the adult world. My students will embark on a journey to understand themselves and their goals from a young age. It's never too soon to teach them the right things therefore I believe it's important to begin this in kindergarten. My students will value their creative side and learn to utilize it instead of neutralize it. I plan on making my classroom a safe haven where all students feel welcome and free to express themselves. It's important that we teach kids that nobody is above them and that we're all equal so that's how I plan to educate them. If my students had to be described by one word, it would be intellectual.

cHHH