Introduction
I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I can remember my kindergarten teacher's classroom so vividly and she inspired me to want to be a teacher. I used to come home from school and instead of playing with dolls, I would line up my stuffed animals and teach them on my whiteboard. I am now finally able to pursue my dream of teaching and am in an internship program. My school is in Pasco County, FL and I am in a fifth grade classroom this semester. My classroom has twenty-four students, equally mixed with boys and girls. There are two autistic children in my class as well as supported learners who get special accomodations during testing. At least eight of the students are on a fourth grade reading level or below and get extra support weekly to help reestablish foundational reading skills. Based on my experiences as a student in K-12 schools, experiences from my internship, as well as relevant coursework and literature, I have formed three personal teaching beliefs that form my teaching platform. |
Belief One
I believe that all children are capable of learning and growing. This belief comes from personal experience as a student in K-12 schools, as well as my experience in my internship program. I formed this belief because I feel like as educators, it is our responsibility to do whatever it takes to provide students what they need to be successful. No matter what physical, emotional, or cognitive issues a student has, they are capable of experiencing academic growth. I have seen it among my peers and I have witnessed it in the classroom. One of my students has ASD, and when she started kindergarten at my internship school, she was nonverbal. She wouldn't talk to anyone. She is now in fifth grade, in a mainstream class, and most of the time we can't get her to stop talking! She actively participates in classroom discussions daily. That growth is enormous! I have another student who came into fifth grade on a third grade reading level, after working with him multiple weeks in a row to help him fix some gaps in his learning, he has moved up to a fourth grade reading level and I am confident that he will be able to be on level by spring, and ready for middle school by the end of the year. All growth in student learning is an achievement and should be recognized.
I believe that all children are capable of learning and growing. This belief comes from personal experience as a student in K-12 schools, as well as my experience in my internship program. I formed this belief because I feel like as educators, it is our responsibility to do whatever it takes to provide students what they need to be successful. No matter what physical, emotional, or cognitive issues a student has, they are capable of experiencing academic growth. I have seen it among my peers and I have witnessed it in the classroom. One of my students has ASD, and when she started kindergarten at my internship school, she was nonverbal. She wouldn't talk to anyone. She is now in fifth grade, in a mainstream class, and most of the time we can't get her to stop talking! She actively participates in classroom discussions daily. That growth is enormous! I have another student who came into fifth grade on a third grade reading level, after working with him multiple weeks in a row to help him fix some gaps in his learning, he has moved up to a fourth grade reading level and I am confident that he will be able to be on level by spring, and ready for middle school by the end of the year. All growth in student learning is an achievement and should be recognized.
Belief Two
My second belief is that it is our jobs as educators to make sure our students feel like they are in safe learning community. I didn’t realize how important this belief was until I took my classroom management class and actually started interning. Students feeling like they belong in the classroom and that they are safe from harm, ridicule, and judgement is just as important to me as what I am teaching them. If students don’t feel like they are safe, how can they begin to even focus on learning? Safety is one of the most important facets of human needs and that needs to be met before learning can actually begin. Students may be going through problems in their home life or other areas outside of school and the classroom may be the only place that they feel safe. I want to make sure all of my students feel like my classroom is a safe place for them.
My second belief is that it is our jobs as educators to make sure our students feel like they are in safe learning community. I didn’t realize how important this belief was until I took my classroom management class and actually started interning. Students feeling like they belong in the classroom and that they are safe from harm, ridicule, and judgement is just as important to me as what I am teaching them. If students don’t feel like they are safe, how can they begin to even focus on learning? Safety is one of the most important facets of human needs and that needs to be met before learning can actually begin. Students may be going through problems in their home life or other areas outside of school and the classroom may be the only place that they feel safe. I want to make sure all of my students feel like my classroom is a safe place for them.
Belief Three
My third belief is that teachers must treat all students fairly and consistently regardless of any predisposed biases. With treating students fairly, it is also important to understand that just because something is fair, does not mean that it is equal. A specific example of this happened recently in my internship classroom. The students were supposed to pick a famous person in United States history that positively impacted the country to do a project on. In the instructions, my CT said that it had to be someone different than who they have gone over in class. When sharing their ideas, one of the students mentioned Harriett Tubman, who the class had already studied. She waived the rule for that student because he struggles in class and it would be beneficial for him to have a topic that he had background knowledge on. When my CT and I discussed it later, she told me that if any other student wanted to do their report on Harriett Tubman she would have said no because she knows that they are fully capable of doing research on a new topic and presenting it. In this case, treating students fairly is not necessarily treating them equal. I agree with this concept because we get students with very different capabilities in our classrooms. Some students have learning disabilities, some are gifted, and some just require a little extra support to be successful. It is our jobs as educators to make sure every student is successful and giving them the tools that they need to be successful.
My third belief is that teachers must treat all students fairly and consistently regardless of any predisposed biases. With treating students fairly, it is also important to understand that just because something is fair, does not mean that it is equal. A specific example of this happened recently in my internship classroom. The students were supposed to pick a famous person in United States history that positively impacted the country to do a project on. In the instructions, my CT said that it had to be someone different than who they have gone over in class. When sharing their ideas, one of the students mentioned Harriett Tubman, who the class had already studied. She waived the rule for that student because he struggles in class and it would be beneficial for him to have a topic that he had background knowledge on. When my CT and I discussed it later, she told me that if any other student wanted to do their report on Harriett Tubman she would have said no because she knows that they are fully capable of doing research on a new topic and presenting it. In this case, treating students fairly is not necessarily treating them equal. I agree with this concept because we get students with very different capabilities in our classrooms. Some students have learning disabilities, some are gifted, and some just require a little extra support to be successful. It is our jobs as educators to make sure every student is successful and giving them the tools that they need to be successful.
Shifts and Expansions
My initial belief as an educator was somewhat naïve in thinking. I thought if I just cared about my students and was passionate about my profession, that I would be a great teacher. Interning this semester and the courses I have taken so far have shown me that there is a lot more involved than just being passionate about the profession to becoming a successful educator. I think this happened after my first whole group lesson. I felt so prepared and ready to dive in and teach my students about a poem. I had the lesson plan all mapped out and ready to go. When I went up to teach, I felt like I froze. I felt like I didn’t know what questions to ask the students and I felt like my lesson was going nowhere. It was nothing like what I had planned in my head and on paper. That’s when I realized that it was more about just caring about teaching, there are strategies and processes that need to be implemented to being a great teacher.
My initial belief as an educator was somewhat naïve in thinking. I thought if I just cared about my students and was passionate about my profession, that I would be a great teacher. Interning this semester and the courses I have taken so far have shown me that there is a lot more involved than just being passionate about the profession to becoming a successful educator. I think this happened after my first whole group lesson. I felt so prepared and ready to dive in and teach my students about a poem. I had the lesson plan all mapped out and ready to go. When I went up to teach, I felt like I froze. I felt like I didn’t know what questions to ask the students and I felt like my lesson was going nowhere. It was nothing like what I had planned in my head and on paper. That’s when I realized that it was more about just caring about teaching, there are strategies and processes that need to be implemented to being a great teacher.
Ongoing Wonderings
As I move to my Level 2 field experience, I continue to wonder what strategies I can implement to keep the flow of a lesson going and how successful certain strategies are. I am struggling still with keeping the slow of the lesson going when I have finished teaching. I plan to use questioning and turn and talks to see if student led discussions will take lessons in a different direction. For my students who need extra support I also wonder how one-on-one support with them can shape their experiences in the classroom. I have a couple of students in particular who have benefitted from having one-on-one support with me this semester and they are already showing growth academically and behaviorally. One of my more difficult students both behaviorally and academically used to be reluctant to meet with me for support but as the semester progressed, he started to actually ask to come to my table and have support. I think this stems from forming a trust with this student and him realizing that I am here to help him.
As I move to my Level 2 field experience, I continue to wonder what strategies I can implement to keep the flow of a lesson going and how successful certain strategies are. I am struggling still with keeping the slow of the lesson going when I have finished teaching. I plan to use questioning and turn and talks to see if student led discussions will take lessons in a different direction. For my students who need extra support I also wonder how one-on-one support with them can shape their experiences in the classroom. I have a couple of students in particular who have benefitted from having one-on-one support with me this semester and they are already showing growth academically and behaviorally. One of my more difficult students both behaviorally and academically used to be reluctant to meet with me for support but as the semester progressed, he started to actually ask to come to my table and have support. I think this stems from forming a trust with this student and him realizing that I am here to help him.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I think this semester as a Level 1 intern has opened my eyes to what I feel like being a teacher is. During this internship so far, I have realized that being a great teacher isn’t just teaching students what they need to move onto the next grade. It takes passion and creating an environment that students want to come into. Treating every student fairly and making them feel safe and like they belong is just as important as the materials that I teach them. Without a sense of security, how could I ever expect them to succeed academically? I hope that as I continue my internship, I continue to grow these beliefs on what it means to me to be a teacher.
In conclusion, I think this semester as a Level 1 intern has opened my eyes to what I feel like being a teacher is. During this internship so far, I have realized that being a great teacher isn’t just teaching students what they need to move onto the next grade. It takes passion and creating an environment that students want to come into. Treating every student fairly and making them feel safe and like they belong is just as important as the materials that I teach them. Without a sense of security, how could I ever expect them to succeed academically? I hope that as I continue my internship, I continue to grow these beliefs on what it means to me to be a teacher.