Introduction
“I’m sorry Trisha; I do not know how to explain it any other way. I guess you will just have to figure out how to do it on your own.” These are the most frustrating words to hear as a student. I struggled with Chemistry in high school and did not understand the material the way my teacher explained it. I would ask for help after class; however, he was not very patient or willing to work with me. After he said this to me, I promised I would never say that to a student when I became a teacher. I would like to share a little about why I want to be a teacher, what I think it takes to be a good teacher, my strengths, as well as my ambitions and goals.
Passion/Calling
I have always wanted to be a teacher; however, it was not until my junior year of high school that I knew without a doubt I was supposed to be an educator. In high school, my guidance counselor asked if I would be a tutor for a middle school girl. I love working with kids so I agreed. I was told that this girl was from the inner city and was raised in a bad home. She was adopted just a few years ago by a family from our school, but they were having problems with her, and I soon discovered what they were dealing with. She would not let me touch her papers or even let me talk to her. By the end of the first week, she tried to get me fired and asked for a new tutor. Despite her efforts, I continued to tutor her and every day was a constant battle. She was failing almost all of her classes because she refused to do her work. When she did finish something, she would lose it or forget to turn it in. Needless to say we were both looking forward to Christmas vacation and getting a break from each other.
Things started progressing during second semester. She started to realize that I was not going anywhere and began to open up to me. She shared many of her tragic childhood experiences. Her story was heartbreaking, but it really helped explain a lot of her behavior. She finally accepted that I was only there to help. I made a deal with her that if she worked hard all week, on Friday I would take her out and we would spend time together. She looked forward to our special time together on Fridays, so she began working harder to earn that time. By the end of the year, there were noticeable improvements in both her grades and relationships. She passed 7th grade and even made honor role. As for our relationship, we were very close and to this day she still calls me her big sister.
Being a tutor that year was a lot of hard work, but seeing her make so much progress was worth every minute. I realized that God was calling me to be a teacher, so I could help other students succeed. I can remember a few teachers in my past who made no effort whatsoever to see me personally succeed in an area I struggled in. I have had a short experience of what it feels like to be a teacher, but it was enough to know it is my passion and I want to avidly pursue it.
Knowledge
One of the qualities that all my favorite teachers’ possessed was patience. I think it is crucial as an educator to be very patient with not only his/her students but also their fellow co-workers. My favorite teachers throughout elementary and high school were not teaching my favorite subject, in fact most of the time it was a subject I struggled with. These teachers were very patient with all of my questions and even took the time to think of new ways of explaining a concept to me. Not once did they get upset with me for not understanding things their way. I think that to be a great educator one needs to have a high level of patience for others.
Another great quality for any educator is passion. Students can tell when a teacher does not really enjoy his/her job. It is frustrating for a student because if his/her teacher does not care for what he/she is teaching then why should they care? The attitude of a passionate teachers is contagious. Students do not have to like the subject, but they will enjoy the class more if their teacher is passionate about what they are doing.
Variety is also another attribute that great educators posses. This feature is one that I have not experienced much as a student. Most teachers stick to the set curriculum and repeat the same teaching techniques for every subject. I think that consistency is important for students. However, when students start to approach learning in auto pilot, they have become too accustomed to that particular teaching method and need to be challenged with something new.
Experience is another important characteristic of a great teacher. There is only so much one can learn from a book and from other people say. When someone experiences something first hand, they have a better understanding of the situation and how to appropriately handle it on their own. Great teachers are in control of their classroom because they know how to respond to and deal with numerous obstacles they may encounter in the classroom. They know how to properly deal with these situations because they have had previous experience.
Strengths
One thing that has given me an advantage as a teacher is the amount of experience I have had. Every job I have had since junior high has been centered on students and interacting with them in one way or another. I have been a tutor for several years. This opportunity has given me insight on how to deal with students who may struggle academically in my classroom. I have also been a nanny for a few years and have babysat since I was in junior high. Both of these jobs taught me about the social skills necessary for students ranging from birth to twelve years old. I have also done volunteer work at several different children’s ministries. These opportunities have not only given me the chance to learn from others but also allowed me to practice how I would handle those situations in my own classroom.
Another strength I have is passion. Anyone who knows me will say that I am passionate about everything I do. I get excited about pouring my time, energy, and love into the lives of others because I have a strong passion for people and building relationships. When it came to tutoring the little junior high girl, I never gave up because I have a strong desire to work hard and help others succeed. I poured myself into this job. I was technically only working five hours a week; however, I put in a lot of extra time preparing for our sessions and staying late so that she could finish her homework while she was with me. One of my favorite traits about myself is that whenever I do something I always give 110%.
In addition to passion, I am good at building relationships and respect with children. I am currently a nanny for a two and a half year old girl. She is an only child and her parents are in their forties, so she tends to be a little spoiled. However, when she is with me, I do not allow her to get away with disrespect or tantrums. I am very strict with her about using manners and teacher her proper social skills. Sometimes she is not too thrilled to see me when I first get there, because she knows I actually enforce the rules and she knows she has to use her manners. When I leave; however, she always tells me she is going to miss me so much and gives me hugs and kisses. Children need structure and direction in their lives and although they may fight you at first, in the end they will love you for it. I had the same relationship with the small group I led at church. I may enforce the rules but I still like to have fun with the students and be someone they feel comfortable around.
Organization and responsibility are two traits that come naturally for me. I do not function well in a chaotic work environment, so I usually have everything organized. I am the type of person that likes to know my plans far in advance and will show up early for fear of being late. I am usually chosen to lead events and organize things because I have a reputation of getting things done and doing them well. Organization is something that comes naturally for me, so it is never strenuous to organize parties or schedules. Responsibility was one of those things that did not come naturally to me; however, my parents worked on it with me at a young age so now it is not a problem for me. I am thankful for both of these attributes because they are two qualities that are important to being a successful teacher.
One of my biggest strengths as a teacher is that I am highly qualified. Like I said before, I am very passionate about whatever I do and school is no exception. I graduated high school as one of the top ten in my graduating class. I took college classes while I was in high school and continued to push myself in college as well. I took as many extra classes as I could and my GPA never went lower than a 3.7 at any given time. I am always looking for opportunities that would help me become a better educator. Not only am I qualified for my academic strength, but also for my personality strengths, such as character and responsibility. I have been offered special positions at school because my supervisor knew that I was a very reliable, mature, and responsible student, and I strived to live my life above reproach. For example, I was given a full ride to Cornerstone University under the pastors’ scholarship. The qualities they were looking for was someone who was involved in their school, church, and community. They also wanted someone who displayed good moral character and would be a leader on campus. This was such an honor for me to receive this scholarship and it further encouraged me to continue this lifestyle.
Ambition
Some aspects of teaching come naturally for me; although, there are some things that I am going to have to work on. One quality that I would really like to work at and be prepared for is to make my first day of every school year productive. I always hated going to the first day of school because we never did anything and the teachers introduced the class in a way that would make anyone dread coming back the next day. The first day of school is a lot of pressure for a teacher, and I would like to make sure I am thoroughly prepared for a successful first day.
Another goal I would like to set for myself is to have my class be technologically advanced. I want to have all of my materials accessible online for students, parents, and the community to utilize. I also want to make these resources simple so students and parents feel comfortable using them. Our world is advancing very quickly and I want to make sure that my classroom exploits the technology available to us. Implementing these tools more into my classroom will not only make things easier for me, but also the students and parents as well. Kids love to use technology because it is new and fun to use. I want to make learning fun and captivating for my students and technology is a great tool to implement that goal.
Conclusion
Teachers have such a huge impact on the future generations. There is a lot of responsibility put upon a teacher because they are role models to their students, but I am willing to take on that responsibility. I want to be someone that they respect and can come to with any kind of problem. If I am to expect great things from my students I must first expect great things from myself and set goals to be the best teacher I can be for my students.
