My Beliefs about Teaching
Upon beginning my journey, I recorded my initial beliefs about being a teacher. I posted those in one of my first reflective blogs, What Are My Initial Beliefs About Teaching? My beliefs were completely geared towards the student and their needs. I want children to succeed! Of course, I want to be a great teacher. When I started my internship, I quickly realized that I had the best CT and the best students in the entire school to teach me how to accomplish this enormous task. I knew right away that I was well on my way to teaching students how to be successful. But just wanting to be a great teacher is obviously not enough, as I continue to realize throughout my courses. Thankfully, I am surrounded by classmates, teachers, professors, and students that will continue to teach me how to become an effective teacher.
Belief 2
During my internship, and as spent more time learning from my CT and my students, I realized the importance of classroom management. Learning will not occur in a classroom where the teacher cannot effectively teach. Attention-getters, non-verbals, smooth transitions, procedures, norms, and classroom organization are as vital to the teacher as they are to the students. Several of my blogs focused on classroom management. I expanded my beliefs about classroom management in the following blogs:
Classroom Procedures
What Initial Reflections Can I Make Regarding My Beliefs About Teaching?
Luissette’s Philosophical Approach to Classroom Management
I have learned so much already about how difficult it can be if a classroom is not running like a well-oiled machine.
Belief 3
Building a positive student-teacher relationship is equally as important as my other beliefs. Students want to know that their teachers care. I have stated this as my belief from the very beginning of my journey to becoming a teacher. I am truly passionate about connecting with students because I experienced firsthand with my own children how they perform (or don’t perform) when they like or dislike their teachers. My sons have had involvements with teachers that they loved and those they didn’t care much for. Their schoolwork, grades, and level of effort were greatly influenced by the relationship and connection they had with their teacher. Children are very astute. They can tell when a teacher does not care about their success. Unfortunately, this situation happens more frequently than it should. It is my goal to build a strong, genuine, and positive relationship with my students so that I can motivate them to learn more. Which is why I think it is important to greet every student and learn something about each one on a daily basis.
My experiences so far have been completely positive. I am very fortunate to have been assigned to such a great school and a great class. However, I am not unaware of the fact that all schools are not equal. My children have attended several Title 1 elementary schools while we moved around because of my military duties. My main concern is with the shortage of funds and support in some schools. For example, how can I effectively teach my students in 98 degree Florida weather, in a classroom without functioning air conditioning? It has always been my goal to teach in a more urban environment and focus my efforts on underprivileged students in disadvantaged schools. My friends tell me I am crazy if I think I am going to “change the world”. I believe I should at least try. As I move into my Level 2 field experience, I continue to wonder how I will learn to overcome obstacles that are beyond my control, such as lack of funding, supplies, and adequate learning environments, that can prevent me from being an effective teacher.