Anna Dahlman

I grew up in a suburb of Lynnwood with three other siblings where competition was a way of life. Everything was made into a contest, whoever finished their cereal first was “zero the hero,” while second was “first the worst.” This competitive spirit furthered me to be better. When my brother knew the colors of the rainbow, and I didn't. It made me want to learn; I needed to learn them. When he knew 12x12, I needed to know too. In school, my classmates were the obvious competition; I would strive to be on the same level or better than them. But competition needs an opponent, So when COVID hit, there was no other competitor to make me better. I had to rely on myself. 

When schooling shifted to online, I struggled to find motivation to complete my work. I put minimum effort into my assignments but always got the grade I needed, all assignments felt like a vending machine; putting in just enough and out came the results. I would spend no more than an hour on my homework and be done. On Zoom, I would watch my chem teacher do this amazing experience while I had a boring worksheet in front of me asking me about chemical reactions. 

It wasn't until I got a job working with kids that I had fun learning. Each day I came to work, I learned a new game to coach, and I could engage with kids. Before my shift started, my boss would have a mini-lesson focusing on developmental skills kids would be learning during the week and how we can support it through the games. The lessons taught directly applied to what I was doing each week, giving me a chance to put them into practice in a meaningful, hands-on way. This experience taught me that learning isn't just about absorbing facts; it's about applying them in real-world contexts where the stakes feel relevant and personal. It shifted my perspective from viewing education as transactional to understanding it as transformational.

I realized that the effort and want to learn becomes easier once you get passionate about what you're learning.  This realization has shaped my belief that fostering curiosity and real-world connections is essential for deeper learning. As a future teacher, I want to engage them in their interest and spark a sense of wonder through young learning. By connecting their interest to the lessons. By using problem-based learning and hands-on approaches, I hope to spark interest in simple lessons. For example, instead of just teaching chemical reactions through worksheets, I envision involving students in experiments where they can witness those reactions firsthand, fueling their curiosity and helping them see the value in what they’re learning.

One thing that has stood out to me through the reading and lecture is the harmful impact of the power dynamic and the prioritization of lessons over the well-being of the students. This drives me to change this in future classes because I have dealt with both sides of being just another student and being heard inside the classroom. 

There is one specific teacher who highlighted what a caring teacher should look like. She saw her students, and then she did it through small things throughout the year. For instance,  she would show us what she did through her Facebook and Instagram. I appreciated this because it humanized her and made me know she was more than a teacher. One memory that stands out is when I first took my SBA test. I was the last one left working. Tears rolled down my face, and my vision blurred, my teacher asked me to go for a walk. During it, she calmed me down and reassured me that it was just practice for next year and that it didn’t matter. Her compassion meant a lot to me, she saw my pain and took me out of there to calm down. I want to be the same teacher who offers that level of care and connection. 

A time when I felt like “just a student” was my high school AP Psychology class. My teacher prioritized learning and did not have meaningful discussions. We would read 30-page chapters out of the textbook, then she would lecture us about it, and finally, we would do a 6+ page worksheet. She had her favorite students and would talk to them, but not anyone else. This became clear when she was my last and only option to write a letter of recommendation. In her letter of recommendation, she spelled my name wrong multiple times. This experience made me feel invisible and confirmed to me that teachers having a connection with all their students is important. This connects directly with what we’ve discussed in class about the importance of making students feel seen and valued. When a teacher overlooks this connection, it harms the overall learning environment. I believe it’s vital that teachers foster relationships with all their students to create a supportive space for learning.

I know that maybe I will be a small blip in my student's lives, but I hope to create a place where they feel comfortable and safe. I want to be able to teach them more than what's in the curriculum, but to be a good human being. I want them to feel valued and special in my future classroom. To have this impact, I will adapt my approach for each class to meet their unique needs. Above all, I aim to teach them equity early on so they know that some people need different things. I want each child to feel seen by celebrating all the differences we bring to the class. To make sure everyone feels heard, I will try to meet with children one-on-one to understand their needs.