IM A TEACHER

Im a Teacher Assignment Irene O. Navarro University of La Verne

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As a future elementary teacher, I believe it is important for me to start thinking of what type of teacher I want to become to my students. As I continue to take classes in education, I have learned the importance of: catering to all multiple intelligences, implementing the standards, addressing diversity, encouraging students to become risk takers, and my role as a life longer learner. Classroom fieldwork assignments, courses in education, and my own personal experiences as a student are all factors that have shaped and molded my beliefs about teaching. First of all, it is known that there is so much emphasis being put into teaching the standards today. It is my goal to teach these standards and at the same time cater to all my students learning types, which means creating lesson plans that meets the needs of all multiple intelligences. I believe that each child can be successful if the teacher caters to their learning style. According to our textbook, each child possesses all eight intelligences and can develop all eight to a reasonable level of competence [however] children begin showing what Howard Gardner calls proclivities (or inclinations) toward specific intelligences from a very early age (Armstrong, 2009, p.32). I believe it is my responsibility as the teacher to get to know my students and how they learn best, in order to meet their needs. Also, I would want to challenge my students to be open to learning in other ways other than the learning style they feel most comfortable with. The current issue in education is how the emphasis on meeting standards has taken the fun away in learning. I believe that by incorporating innovative and creative ways to teach these standards, the standards can be met and the students can genuinely enjoy learning, which is clearly a win-win situation. Students should look forward to learning, but positive attitude has a lot to do with how the teacher presents the lesson. For example, one California standard is that 1st grade students are able to identify adjectives correctly in writing and speaking. Instead of

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lecturing at the front of the class about adjectives, I would see how I can teach about adjectives in an exciting way. There are so many ways to teach adjectives and cater to more than one of the multiple intelligences. For example, in a People Hunt activity, students are asked to get up and look for someone in the class that fits a certain adjective such as tall athletic and friendly. Next, the students would have that student sign for the adjective that describes them; this activity would meet the needs of interpersonal and kinesthetic learners. Also, I can have them sing songs about the topic, such as School House Rocks song Unpack your Adjectives, to cater to students who learn through music. For an intrapersonal activity, students could write a poem about themselves, using adjectives. Just like the examples Ive given on teaching adjectives, I believe that you can teach any standard and incorporate the needs of several multiple intelligences at the same time. I not only want to show that I care for my students academic performance, but that I care for each individual child as well. Knowing that there is so much diversity in the classroom today, in regards to: ethnicity, nuclear families, and socioeconomic status, it is important to address these issues as a teacher. As the teacher, I need to model a positive attitude towards diversity and in order to demonstrate this, it must be shown through my actions that I embrace each childs background. Fortunately, I have received so many ideas from my education classes about how to model this attitude. I have noticed that it is a prevalent topic that is discussed in my education classes, which demonstrates its significance. One of the ways I plan to show my attitude towards diversity is through the classroom materials I provide. I remember in my Childrens Literature class, we discussed having multicultural books. I will carefully select books that include: positive portrayals of characters that avoid stereotypes, themes that can relate to each child, and a variety books that represent

IM A TEACHER different types of backgrounds. For instance, a book like Norah Dooleys Everybody Cooks

Rice would be an example of a good quality multicultural book. This book is about a girl who lives in a diverse neighborhood and goes around seeing what each family is having for dinner. She finds out that everybody cooks rice, which demonstrates the common theme, but all have different types of rice dishes. Like Dooleys book, I plan to have books similar in that it is relatable to my students, yet at the same time introduces them to other cultures other than their own. I also want to have books that represent my childrens backgrounds, in regards to different family makeups and cultures. Another way I can demonstrate that I embrace diversity is through the art materials and art projects I assign. In my Visual and Performing Arts for Elementary Teachers, we had a unit about diversity as well. One thing I remember is about skin color and how there are so many variations of colors, not just black, white, yellow, and brown. One idea that I can recall was to discuss that every child has a unique skin tone color and to help them discover what their skin tone is, you have them mix paints together. Things I would say as a teacher to reinforce this concept is that no skin tone is purely white and compare a light skinned child to a white piece of paper, showing them how there are different shades of brown, and so on. I have definitely come across many wonderful ideas from my education classes in addressing the issue of diversity, but I believe the most important thing I need to do is know my students backgrounds first and become aware of the different types of backgrounds out there. For instance, I know that not all children celebrate Christmas and Halloween. Knowing this, I would not have activities related to these holidays to respect the beliefs of my students. Ultimately, I hope to promote a climate of unity in my classroom that embraces and respects

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differences. In order to do this, I believe that it is my job to continue to understand the various backgrounds out there and take the time to know my students on an individual basis. In addition, I also hope to create a community within the classroom, instilling the idea of a school family because I want my students to feel a sense of pride being a member of a group. When everybody works together in a team, you feel important to that particular group, which I hope each student will feel as part of my class. I also believe that creating a family like atmosphere in the classroom definitely benefits a child in several ways. Sometimes there are children that dont have a positive adult role model in their own homes and dont receive the proper care outside of school, and their teacher may be the only person who can help fill that void. Furthermore, it has been found that students need to feel connected to their teacher on an emotional level, and if they arent, they are most likely uninterested to learn and put in the effort. My personal goal is to apply what Ive learned about a school family to my future classrooms and I will genuinely care for each student as a whole and not just their academic parts. Through a school family environment, I believe that a sense of unity, trust, and belongingness will be produced, which will definitely be beneficial to my students. Another essential role for a teacher is that they help students become risk takers and encourage them to try something they havent tried before. I want to emphasize to my students to value the process over the product. Children produce fear of getting the wrong answer and may get discouraged to even try, when getting the right answer is more valued in the classroom. On the other hand, when more value is put on the process, students will feel more at ease and encouraged to take risks. I remember one of my past math professors stressing that it is more important to show our work, because its not about what you got, but its about how you got to the answer. If we constantly put so much stress on getting the right answers, students will feel so

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much pressure, that the process of learning is then diminished. I want my students to understand that sometimes they wont always get the answer right away and that its okay if they dont get it the first time because struggles are a part of learning. Ive been told several times, that without struggle, there is no progress, which can definitely be applied to education. As a teacher, I will value my students efforts and I believe that with type of attitude, my students will feel more comfortable to take risks in learning. In order to have my students progress in their own learning, I want to challenge them. Instead of always assigning assignments that require little thinking, like fill in the blank problems or multiple choice problems, I would have the children journal and lead class discussions, so that they are constantly being challenged to think about what they are learning and how it is meaningful to them. I believe with the right amount of scaffolding, I can motivate my students to reach their potential. I would also hold up high standards for my students, in order to demonstrate that I believe that they are capable of doing tasks in the classroom that may seem challenging at first. I think that if a teacher puts off the impression of low expectations for his or her students, the students can feed off that energy and wont believe in themselves. Also, instead of having students compete with each other academically, I want my students to compete with themselves. I want my students to focus on themselves and challenge their own potential as a learner. I believe that when students are put in an environment where they are constantly being compared to other students, this results in discouragement because they may feel like they arent like the other students and prompt students to dwell in what they may feel are their weaknesses. Some students may even think, why should I even try, if Im going to lose or if so and so is going to do better than me. Instead, I hope to implement unity in the classroom, in where students help each other.

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Furthermore, working alongside other teachers in education reaps several benefits. As a colleague I want to collaborate with my fellow teachers and share ideas. I believe that when you create strong bonds with other teachers, you can better yourself in the profession and help each other along the way. Teachers can also be each others support system, as they discuss what works and what doesnt in the classroom. From a study of the American Institute for Research (AIR), reported by the American Educational Research Association, teachers learn more in collaborative teacher networks and study groups than with mentors or in traditional classes and workshops (Wong, 2003, p. 3). I want to view my other teachers as team members, instead of people to compete with. I believe that the best schools have a strong staff that supports each other. How can we teach our children to work together, if their teachers arent doing it? I believe that teachers are role models and we have to be the example of what we ask of our students. My role as a colleague not only means that I am in a partnership with my fellow teachers, but also with my students families. I want to take the time to be in constant communication with my students families, so that we can all work together in the best interest of their childs education. I want to use resources like technology to my advantage as a teacher, through emailing and creating a class webpage to keep families updated of what is happening in the classroom. I think family involvement is another major key factor in a students success. Last but not least, I believe that as a teacher I am a life-long learner. In the field of education, things are always advancing or changing. Knowing this, I want to be open and flexible in adapting to new information that will help me be a better teacher. Just like how I want my students to take risks in learning, I need to also take risks in teaching by stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I want to have the mindset that theres always more to learn, rather than having an I know what I need to know already type of perspective. As I continue to

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have more experience as a teacher, I know that I will not only be the one teaching, but through experiences and working alongside other teachers, parents, and students, I will also be constantly learning from them as well. In addition, I want my enthusiasm for my own learning as a life long learner to be demonstrated, so that my students feel more inclined to learn as well. All in all, there are several factors that have shaped and influenced my perspective of what I believe are characteristics a teacher should embody. I have high expectations and goals that I hope to implement in the classroom once I become a teacher. I want to successfully teach the required standards in a way that my students are engaged and excited to learn through incorporating activities that cover the multiple intelligences. I also want my classroom to be a place in where my students feel like they belong and are respected through a school family type of environment. In addition, I hope to encourage my students to take risks and value the process of learning. I know that in order to be a successful teacher, I need to create strong partnerships between other teachers and my students families. Lastly, I want to be an example of what I will teach to my students, such as how learning never stops and one should be open to learning new things.

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References Armstrong, T. (2009). Multiple intelligences in the classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Wong, H. (2003). Collaborating with colleagues to improve students. ENC. 1-3.