Teaching for me is accepting each child for who they are and taking that into how I will reach out to each of them. It’s realizing that each student is capable of learning, of growing, just not at the same time or in the same way. It’s trying to make a positive impact on each child’s life, no matter who they are or where they come from. It’s looking into their passions, their flaws, their strengths and their weaknesses. It’s being personal, it’s connecting. That’s the beauty of teaching: is using my creativity to reach out to each student to meet his or her needs and desires.

I believe it is the teacher’s job to push the students, to make the students want to come to class every day. It’s the teacher’s job to engage students, to make topics interesting. My goal is to shy away from the textbooks, and use real, primary resources. Anybody can regurgitate information on a Power point, or read notes from a book, but it’s teachers that are hired to creatively educate the students.

My classroom environment is something very important to me. Teachers should create environments where students are able to interact with one another, and students can find answers on their own. They should establish a routine so students feel comfortable, while bringing new information daily so that they stay interested and are pushed to work hard. I want my classroom to feel like a home, so that students feel comfortable with where things are. I want them to feel like they’re in a safe place, where they can go outside their comfort zones, yet know that they have support if and when they fail. Teachers should stay up to date with technology, but stay away from technology that doesn’t enhance the learning of the students or aid the teacher in presenting information.