Roddy, page 1 Natalie Roddy A Perspective on Education To me, education is the foundation of ones future and personal development.

Students are given the opportunity to advance academically and develop social relationships that influence their attitudes and behaviors. Teaching is a profession that will allow me to change how students perceive learning and will also help me to increase students self-esteem. My goal as a perspective college student is to major in secondary education in the subject area of history. In the past, my experience has included several leadership positions in education including peer tutoring, peer mentoring for children with special needs, volunteering to read to preschoolers, and participating in the teen advisory board at my local library. My experiences will prepare me to become a more knowledgeable teacher. In my peers supporting peers internship, I have had the opportunity to lead classroom discussion and learn how to deal with disciplinary problems. I also created a project based on a novel the students have read. While creating this project, I realized that students have different preferences for learning. Therefore, I focused the project mainly on hands-on learning. My hope is to encourage others to see the benefits of education through support in both academics and their personal lives. The students in the current internship Im participating in are inspiring. Despite their difficulties comprehending material and communicating, they try and perform up to their ability. They are so grateful for the opportunity to learn and interact with their peers. In my internship, I have realized that students need to be provided with guidance and discipline to allow them to progress. Therefore, teachers must be able to have effective strategies that enforce positive and cooperative behavior.

Roddy, page 2 I have decided to become a teacher because I have had positive experiences in academic subjects and was able to connect with several of my teachers. I want to integrate some of the teaching strategies that I thought were successful into my classroom practice. In the past I have had creative teachers who brought classroom discussions alive. My eighth grade social studies teacher, Mr. Bogush, assigned his students to blog with international countries. His innovative approach encouraged students to think differently about social relationships and embrace diversity. Students also gained valuable skills in the area of technology as they produced videos, created songs, and communicated with classrooms around the world. My former Latin teacher, Mr. Mangino, is an inspiration to me because despite having dyslexia, he majored in Latin in college. As a fourth year Latin student, I have been able to establish a close relationship with Mr. Mangino. He brought his humor into the classroom which therefore helped to engage discussion. As a future teacher, I hope to allow students to express their talents and creativity while sharing with their classmates what they have learned. Every student is an individual and there should be alternative ways of learning standard curriculum that will make an impression. Teachers influence students motivation and level of success. They help guide students actions and provide support even during difficult circumstances. Children are our next future generations, and they need to be prepared as leaders. They need to develop the ability to think critically, learn about society, appreciate diverse cultures, and become comfortable with technology. I will bring my energy into the classroom and encourage every student to participate, so that each student will be able to reach his or her full potential.