Katie Oller

Final exam- TEDU 414

Being a teacher is quite possibly one of the most challenging jobs in the world, but by far
the most rewarding. As a teacher, I will come prepared to be an educator for my students first
and foremost as well as a good listener, leader, encourager, friend and advocate. I will carry all of
these roles with me when entering a classroom because every day presents new challenges to
every student in which they need support. Not only do our students face academic challenges,
but challenges that stem from outside of school life including divorce, lack of parent
involvement at home, and any other source of stress not school related. One particular challenge
that students may encounter both within and out of school is socioeconomic, racial and other
forms of diversity. As an educator it is important to remember to educate the whole child to
ensure that they are educated in the realm of diversity. To accomplish this, I will incorporate
diversity lessons into other areas of the core curriculum by using differentiation, but also
immersing my students into other cultures around the world through hands on lessons. Learning
about diversity cannot only be accomplished during instructional time, but can be built into
character education lessons in which the teacher educates to the whole child, in hopes that the
student will grow to be s more culturally competent citizen and learner.
For many students, teacher support is critical to build student motivation and increase
learning in the classroom. I believe that one way students learn best is when they feel supported
by their teachers, peers and other faculty in the school. One way that I will show my students my
support is by being a careful and attentive listener, offering guidance, and actively showing my
students I am their number one cheerleader and coach. Another way that students learn best is

when they are motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically, have interest in the material they are
learning about, and find use of the curriculum in their daily life. To accomplish all of these
things, it is crucial that myself as a teacher gets to know each of my students on a personal level.
Understanding what motivates each student and where their interests lie will help when writing
unique and practical lesson plans to ensure that each student is engaged and motivated to learn
the material.
One last critical piece of students learning effectively in my classroom will be creating a
safe and caring learning environment that students feel comfortable in. Part of creating this kind
of safe atmosphere stems from having a strong and consistent management plan implemented in
the classroom. The foundation in my management plan will be based on respect and a classroom
community. By establishing a high level of respect and community feel in my classroom,
students will feel more obligated to follow rules and hold one another accountable. A great way
for students to practice being responsible and caring members of the classroom community is to
ask parents to participate in practicing responsibility at home with their children. Encouraging
parents to hold their students accountable will not only create a balanced environment for the
student at home and at school, but will also actively involve parents in the school.
All together, these future plans in my classroom will create a warm and caring
environment for students in which the students are growing into well rounded children in the
area of diversity along with knowledge of the core curriculum. I am confident that my students
will be able to succeed in my classroom, and am hopeful that I will be able to leave a mark on
them in their future.