As the quarter rapidly approaches its end and the program also moves swiftly along, I am beginning to think more and more about my future as a teacher. With this comes a huge amount of excitement as well as uncertainty. I have reflected a lot lately on the path I took to get where I am now and how this will impact me as a teacher. I recently met up with an old friend and found myself talking about old school memories and what type of experience this was for us. The more we talked about it and the more I thought about it, I realized that I have not always been a good student, or even enjoyed school. There were many years in school where I was far behind my peers and many years where I did not care about my own success in school. I feel that my past experiences will help me to relate with students who don’t necessarily take their education seriously. On the other hand, my former feelings about school may have the potential to cause me to look at the more negative side of things. These are the some of the concerns I have been thinking about and cannot let get in the way of my main focus, educating students.
A lot of students lack the concentration and focus needed to achieve academic success. This is where I believe I can help them with making goals, and understanding that the end can justify the means. It took me going to Australia/New Zealand for a “study abroad” program to realize that there was a whole world outside of my little bubble at home and its then that I decided I needed to do something with my life and school was a proverbial “hoop” to jump through in my mission to achieve my overall goal. At this point my work ethic and motivation skyrocketed and my grades instantly improved. If I can help one student get the light bulb to go off, and realize that they can achieve any goals they set for themselves, I will be ecstatic.
I can really relate to what you have said about you experiences as a student. I would say I was kind of a slacker at times in school. There were definitely things I did not understand or care about which I think is especially unfortunate for an elementary school student. However, when I reflect on that, I think a lot of it was because I had teachers that did not care and were not doing what they could to help me. I know I appreciate my struggles in school with not only the curriculum but also some teachers because that is why I am pursuing teaching. Since you are already thinking and reflecting on this now I have no doubt that this will help you as you educate your students. Because of your experiences you will be able to relate to the students and better recognize their needs.
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