Some skills are simply a given necessity to be a good teacher. Examples of these skills range from leadership to guide the classroom, flexibility to accommodate what cannot be expected, and of course, classroom management to maintain focus and efficiency.
However—there’s always a however—an outstanding teacher has the skills to create a positive environment in their classroom. In order to create this environment, an outstanding teacher should be able to develop rapport with their students; they should have the skill of nurturing a professional relationship where students feel listened to, respected, and cared for. A teacher should be able to give precise and meaningful feedback that makes a student feel acknowledged when they do something right. The outstanding teacher can maintain firm but reasonable rules as well as a comfort with establishing routines that help students feel at ease with the transitions every class requires. Finally, an outstanding teacher should have the skill of resilience with a positive attitude renewed with passion for their subject and empathy for their students each day.
It is no secret that every student I teach will come to my classroom with different interests, levels of skills, and backgrounds. After all, classrooms are one of the very few meeting grounds everyone in our country has in common. As such, learning experiences must be individualized.
I believe one of the ways to create opportunities for the unique needs of my students’ skills and abilities is to incorporate student decision into the classroom. For students who struggle with staying interested while reading, I will provide two to three options for occasional student book circles versus reading every book with the entire class. Meanwhile, I will include essay questions on exams to allow each student an open space to formulate their thoughts without the fear of writing the wrong answer without the chance to explain their reasoning first. With these essay assessments, I will provide multiple prompts for students to select from. Being able to choose their prompt will allow students to pick subjects they are excited and eager to discuss. For students who struggle with comprehension, I will include frequent informal assessments to gauge both learning pace and difficult areas. By continually checking in with student comprehension, I will be aware if a student needs extra time or practice with a skill or assessment. In order to aid student comprehension, I will provide them with the choice of either written or audio versions of texts. Furthermore, I will include a diverse range of group work ranging from class discussions to small group tasks and pair work.
I also intend to incorporate self-assessment opportunities for students to practice their own self-reflection on where they think they are succeeding and which skills they feel they do not understand yet. For students who understand the content but struggle with always expressing their comprehension in the same way, I will provide a wide range of final projects throughout the year.
I believe strongly in the importance of allowing students multiple routes to express their understanding. Even though I am teaching English, not every final project has to be a paper. Instead, I intend to include creative writing, Socratic seminars, debates, portfolios, workshops, journals, and presentations as opportunities for students to express their comprehension on topics regarding theme, character development, author purpose, etc. Literature in my classroom will be an evolving discussion: each day developing from the prior day’s insights and students’ areas of particular interest.
There have been many professional and personal components that have contributed to my confidence and experience as an English teacher today. After my freshman year in college, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach a Creative Writing summer class to high school students in Kazakhstan, and I have known that teaching English is my passion since. For the past four years, I have engaged in a world of volunteering with writing clubs through the Iowa Youth Writer’s Project and organizing events for literature lovers as co-president of the University’s English Society. I have written dozens of successful lesson plans and built a meaningful rapport with many of my practicum students at both West High School and Northwest Junior High. Through my degrees in Education, English, and Creative Writing, I have nurtured both written and verbal communication skills that contribute to expressing ideas and expectations clearly. In addition, because of the countless creative writing workshops, I have developed both an ease and thoughtfulness in my ability to give meaningful and precise feedback regarding student work.
After a lifetime of thriving on planners, I am thoroughly organized in both my personal and professional work: never missing deadlines and able to give students a meaningful preview of the unit from the beginning while still allowing for flexibility regarding student needs. Meanwhile, one of my strongest character traits that has always served my teaching approach well is my empathy. While I recognize the importance of firm but fair rules, I also recognize that my students all come from a life outside of the class that contributes to their identity as a student.
Overall, I have had numerous meaningful professional experiences that have prepared me to be a confident and engaging leader in the classroom. Meanwhile, I have had many personal experiences that have cultivated both passion for my subject and empathy for my students. My leadership skills of lesson planning, building rapport, communication, giving feedback, organization, and empathy combined with my classroom experience support my ability to be an excellent English teacher. Furthermore, as my strong GPA has consistently reflected, I have a deep passion for pursuing personal intellectual growth. Once hired, I will continue to self-reflect and nurture progress in my teaching and leadership skills.