The calling to be an educator is not just an overnight accord. When I was 12 years of age, my parents decided to move overseas to Palestine. Learning Arabic as a Second Language and starting my adventure at a public school made our move even more challenging. Throughout my journey, I had been bullied and teased by other teachers. I had one teacher who made a positive impact on me in contrast to my other teachers, who bullied and teased me. My English teacher in high school was known for her confidence, wittiness, and kindness. She taught me to strive, accomplish, and put fear aside. She inspired me to ‘Be Called’ to become a teacher. While experimenting with life, I was compelled to teach for years. When I taught, I felt contented, proud, and happy because I was positively influencing students. Furthermore, I proceeded with my calling to aspire to be my English Teacher and inspire my students to follow their call-in life.
As an educator, it is essential to build a positive relationship and recognize the diversity of my students. It is important to create a positive rapport than a negative one. Having a positive relationship with my students will help my students grow to develop their own identity. Along with practicing my faith as a Muslim, I model respect with how I treat students, teachers, and staff members. It helps students acknowledge and see respect in action because being diverse makes us stronger. As a teacher, I guide, advise, and direct my students to a path that best fits their needs and interests. As a responsible educator, I vow to teach my students how to voice their opinions and empathize with others to better understand the world around them. All this and more are essential substances that my students will see and learn.
My students need to know that I am not perfect. My journey in various placements made me realize the importance of admitting my mistakes to my students. It motivates my students to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Instead, my students will be aware that mistakes are learning opportunities that shape their identities and minds simultaneously. Enlightening students to share experiences will help create opportunities for them to discuss ideas and beliefs that are different from what they already know and see around them. It will help students realize that they are not alone and that they are connected somehow. Students will trust me as their teacher because I can help, and I am not labeled as the all-knowing. Through my student teaching journey, I have learned that students prefer to have a teacher who doesn’t have all the answers because it makes them feel safe. This goal of modeling mistakes while thinking out loud will be an opportunity for my students to grow. It will teach them how to fail and recover from failure. Conversely, if I only show perfectionism, I will be doing a disservice to my students.
In my future classroom, I will strive to create a welcoming and creative environment by instilling the love of learning. I will decorate my classroom with my students' work because it will increase their feelings of pride and ownership. Students will have music breaks, to help maintain their focus and enthusiasm in learning. I will give reasoning to my students for the purpose of my bulletin boards because I know how it will help them in the future. At one of my placements, I had the chance to make a bulletin board Watch Your Language. I explained to my students the purpose and reasoning behind it, such as, to mind language usage and how we use it outside of school. My students will express themselves and feel safe and comfortable. Students will work collaboratively and exchange thoughts with their peers respectfully and in a caring manner. My students are gifted and unique in their own way; however, some students might need modification that best fits their interest. My students are confident learners because they learn through acquiring different methods, tools, and strategies that best fit their levels. As a lifelong learner, I will showcase to my students my commitment to learning and enthusiasm. I will plant the seed of the belief that learning is an exciting journey that they must embrace.
To ‘Be Called’ to the field of education is to remember our important role as teachers. Teaching is a profession that combines personal dedication and professional expertise. Becoming a teacher entails you have a personal connection and desire to guide students toward growth and development beyond academia. It is a mission because it carries a purpose; in other words, a drive to make a difference in the lives of students, and to contribute to society through education. When we are called, it is a service, and we are the givers; constantly pouring out of a glass of water to give back to students. We need to be graceful, have time to be creative, reflect on why we are doing what we are doing, and have time to restore our energy. They are all connected to fulfilling the calling because we can’t give to students if our cups are empty. It is a delicate balance of being a teacher as well as a lifelong learner. We proactively want to be against burning out and have space for growth.
All in all, as teachers we play a crucial role in shaping the lives of our students. We invest our time and effort to provide our students with the knowledge, skills, and values they need in order to be successful, responsible, and contributing members of our society. As teachers, we are the backbone of the educational system, and we play a vital role in shaping the future. As educators, we need to model diversity and let students see how it is powerful. We need to celebrate our calling of becoming teachers and celebrate the calling of our students. As students grow; we grow and learn side by side.