Teaching is important to me for several reasons:
One of the reasons teaching is important to me is because growing up my safe place was school. I had a very tough home life, so school is where I felt safe, and loved. I did not receive acknowledgement at home for my successes, so my teachers were the people I truly connected with and received healthy attention from. I love the idea of being that safe space for my students in the way I could depend on my teachers for. My ultimate mission as a teacher is to "be to my students what no-one was for me" considering the lack of support I experienced in my family. I know, first-hand, how tough life can be without genuine love and support in your life, and I plan to counteract the overwhelmingly high rate of these experiences in students' lives by using my life as an offer to those students who need genuine love, care, and support the most.
Another reason teaching is important to me is the lack of quality educational opportunities amongst minority students. Too often in my teaching experience, I have seen the adverse effects of low quality education in minority communities. It has been another mission of myn as a teacher to utilize my talents and life skills to cultivate the academic and intellectual growth of students who are less fortune. I even started my own tutoring company in a further effort to carry this mission out. I come from a very strong academic background, and I have the desire to provide that same quality education I received to the students that I teach. Education is a pertinent factor in a person's ability to provide for themselves and their families later in life, and it is a goal of myn to increase the betterment of my community through the investment in the future of that community's children.
My beliefs as a professional educator about teaching and learning are:
Educators have tremendous power to influence and change the lives of their students, which result in tremendous change in overall communities. Developing rapport with students has the power to influence them to make informed decisions and engage in positive actions. Building those positive relationships with students has the power to transform their lives by offering them a safe space to process negative feelings, heal deep wounds, and discuss tough life experiences. In this safe space, students are given the opportunity to make better decisions and feel supported. Research consistently shows that teachers have a significant and often the most impactful influence on student success, with studies indicating that "a high-quality teacher can contribute to a student's academic achievement far more than other school factors like facilities or services, potentially impacting their long-term outcomes like college graduation rates; this is often referred to as the "teacher effect" (Terada, 2019).
Educators set the precedent for the culture present in their classroom, and outside of the classroom. Our students come to us from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, and it is imperative for the teacher to set the tone for what behaviors, ways of being, and even thought patterns will be accepted or not accepted in the classroom. For example, I currently work in a school that has a culture that doesn't prioritize academics, rather highlights the importance of sports. This is also reflective in the community the school resides in, as I have seen countless indicators of the students and parents not valuing education. Despite this present culture, I make it very clear that in my classroom we value our education and the process it requires to attain it. My students respect this because I embody and enforce it. "Research shows that classroom culture and students' psychological safety meaningfully increase engagement in instructional activities" (Kaila, 2020). It is beneficial to our students that we as teachers be cognizant of the culture we bring to the classroom, and the ways of being and thinking that we accept, or even tolerate to increase student learning and achievement.
Any student can learn anything! I do not believe in limits when it comes to the teaching profession. Human beings are capable of miraculous possibilities, and I believe that anything that is seen as a limitation and/or a liability can quickly be transcended into an opportunity and/or an asset with the right mindset and the needed resources. Neuroplasticity supports this belief as it speaks to the brain's ability to change and reorganize itself throughout life. Research on neuroplasticity and the learning process demonstrates that the brain is not static, but actively changes and rewires itself based on experiences and learning, creating new neural connections and strengthening existing ones (Cunnington, 2019). Anytime I hear a fellow educator complaining about a student not being capable of learning or behaving, I immediately do not entertain the conversation, as I know better from experience that students are capable of things beyond our imagination. Given a productive environment, ample support, needed resources, and a healthy mindset any student can be successful.
A learning outcome I want to foster in my students is endurance. Endurance is the ability to withstand hardship or adversity; especially, the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity. I want to foster this in my students, the most, because I am aware of how tough life can be, and I want my students to be prepared for the complicated, and sometimes hurtful life experiences that may lie ahead of them.
Two instructional strategies that I would use to foster student mastery of endurance are active learning and project-based learning:
Active learning is when students and teachers are actively involved in the learning process, as opposed to passive learning where the teacher is the sole participant. I would use active learning to facilitate activities that engage students, and propel them into their learning process, such as group work that assigns roles to each student in the group. For example, I would form groups of five to six students to analyze a literary text and complete various tasks to further apply their understanding of the text and the standard being implemented using the text. This would foster student mastery of endurance by encouraging students to collaborate with their peers, and build relationship skills, even in the face of challenges with their peers while completing the learning tasks.
Project-based learning is where students work on a long-term project that addresses a real-world issue, allowing them to apply their knowledge and skills to a meaningful task. I would use project-based learning to facilitate tasks that give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a project that mirrors real-world issues. For example, I have given my students a vision board project that requires them to create a visual representation of the things they want to have, be and/or do in life. This would foster student mastery of endurance by giving students a fun and creative opportunity to become clear on their dreams and desires and ways to transform them into reality. The clearer students are on their future goals, the less likely those goals will be derailed by real-life obstacles.
Two specific assessment tools or strategies that I would use to measure student mastery of the learning outcome, endurance, are 'think, pair, share' and four corners:
Think, pair, share is a collaborative learning strategy where students work together to solve a problem or answer a question about an assigned reading. This strategy requires students to think individually about a topic or answer to a question, and share ideas with their fellow classmates. I would implement this strategy using an article discussing a current issue in the U.S., such as poverty or mass incarceration. Incorporated in the article would be the element of endurance exemplified by the people discussed throughout the text. I would have students pair with each other to discuss the purpose of the overall text and include the meaning and significance of the concept, endurance, and how that concept shapes the reality of people who embody it and people who don't. This would measure student mastery of the learning outcome by providing data on student understanding of endurance and how it is applied in real life situations.
Four Corners is a teaching technique that can be used as a formative assessment to help students learn, think critically, and communicate verbally. It involves asking students to respond to a question or statement by standing in a corner of the room that corresponds with their answer. I would implement this strategy by asking students to reflect on the toughest experience they feel they've had in life. I would use the following responses to label the four corners of the room: I showed a high level of endurance in this situation, I showed some endurance in this situation, I showed no endurance in this situation, or it was not possible to show endurance in this situation. Once seperated into their corners, I would have students discuss with their group the explanation behind their corner choice. This would measure student mastery of the learning outcome because it would provide data on how students have either: applied endurance in their own life, how they could have applied endurance in a tough situation, or how it was not possible for them to apply endurance for reasons discussed.
My beliefs as a professional educator about building positive relationships with school stakeholders are:
Positive Relationships with students, their families, fellow teachers, administrators, local community members, local government officials, and local businesses is essential and serves as the cornerstone of access to high-quality education. Positive relationships in any aspect of life always serves as lucrative to true change and growth. It is no different as a professional educator. Apart of being an educator is inspring and enacting real change in the community and the world. This is only made possible through the very pertinent relationships we develop with the individuals that can assist us in transpiring the neccesary changes needed in our communities. Some strategies I would use to build these relationships are communicating effectively, spending quality time building relationship bonds, and maintaining a positive attitude. The most important strategy out of the three mentioned is relationship bonding. Relationship bonding is the connections formed between individuals who share a common bond or identity, leading to the development of trust, reciprocity, and confidence within the relationship. This is where the power of relationships is built. They say, "sometimes it is not what you know, but who you know".
Building positive relationships with school stakeholders is vital to genuine professional development. Professional development is usually given in the form of professional development courses, but what is not discussed as much is the influence the relationships you build with students, their families, fellow teachers, administrators, local community members, local government officials, and local businesses has on your development as a professional educator. It requires a unique set of skills and qualities to maneuver healthy work relationships, and the fostering of these relationships will require a level of self-growth and self-awareness that catepults them to the next level. High-quality relationships are essential to becoming a better version of yourself in life, and this remains true in the work environment, as well.
WORKS CITED
Terada, Y. (2019, February 4). Understanding a Teacher's Long-Term Impact. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/understanding-teachers-long-term-impact/
Kaila T. (2020). Psychological Safety in the EFL Classroom: Teaming Up With WTC, Language Anxiety, Learning Experience, Motivation and Teacher Leadership. (Unpublished MA Thesis). University of Turku.
Cunnington, R. (2019). Neuroplasticity: How the brain changes with learning. IBE: Science of Learning Portal.
https://solportal.ibe-unesco.org/articles/neuroplasticity-how-the-brain-changes-with-learning/