My Philosophy of Education: Become a Teacher

Introduction

To start with, this is why do you want to become a teacher essay where I will explaine my passion in teaching. I’ve known for 6 years now that I’ve wanted to be a teacher even with many people telling me it’s not the best profession financially. The reason I want to be a teacher isn’t for the money; it’s for the love of kids I have and the want to make a difference in the next generations’ lives. I never had a teacher in my secondary career make a huge impact for me; for other students yes they did, but for me who was shy, not popular, or a “rich-kid”, teachers didn’t care about me. I especially want to be that teacher that stands up for the students like me because I might be the only person in their life who is doing so for them. So this why teach essay is going to show and explain why I want to be that teacher advocate for the under-looked students.

Why Do I Want to Teach?

The two main reasons I want to teacher are I get to help people and I love young students. Being an only child and getting to work for my mom for eight years as a waitress has made me a very caring person and put a drive in me to help anyone I can. Being an only child has put me down a path of getting along with people much younger and older than me which will serve me well as a teacher since I want to teach elementary students and I will have to work with older teachers. Moreover, I am going to take a degree in Education at Michigan State University. I believe it would be a great step for becoming a professional teacher. 

Purpose of Education

To continue reasons to become a teacher essay, for me the purpose of education is to become more informed and prepared for the world. In special education essay you can read that going to school benefits every child even if they don’t think so. Education can help students like myself step out of their comfort zone, especially if they have a teacher who believes, cares, and cheers them on. Having a teacher who believes in the purpose of education will also help students see the purpose of it too. One of my favorite teacher-student moments from a movie was in the “Longest Ride” when Ruth told Daniel he could be anything he wanted and he took that to heart as he went on to become a professor of physics and astronomy in Britain. Because of Ruth, Daniel found his purpose of education and went on to live a very successful life. I want to be the “Ruth” in my students’ lives and help them to find their purpose in education.

Characteristics of an Effective Teacher

To me an effective teacher has to be caring most of all. If you don’t care about the students then why are you in teaching? As a teacher showing you care about your students helps to build strong and positive relationships that will make teaching go much more smoothly. In essays on becoming a teacher was mentioned that relationships with students also help connect with students whether it be while teaching a lesson or having a conversation with them. Building that relationship with students also makes them want to share with you which shows they trust you and want to connect with you. Care and trust go a long way in being an effective and great teacher.

Another attribute of being an effective teacher is time management. Lesson plans need to be well thought out and purposeful in order for students to learn what you are teaching and later apply it in the real world. If lessons are just fun with no real content being taught, students aren’t learning anything which means you’re not being an effective teacher. Along with lesson plans time management also applies in the classroom and staying on a schedule. That can be hard to do when students want to talk during or in between lessons but an effective teacher will manage to allow students to talk but as appropriate times. Time management also applies to how long lessons are; if they’re too short it will take too long to teach a unit. If they are too long the students will lose focus in interest in the lesson which will result in students not learning the content and failing assessments. No teacher can be an effective teacher if students are failing assessments.

Another way to be an effective teacher is giving every student what they need in order to succeed. If you treat every student the same you are holding them back because what every student needs if different.

How to Teach and Assess-Instruction & Strategies - Technology

In today’s day and age technology is becoming more and more prevalent in classrooms and life in general. Everywhere you look there is some form of technology whether it be phones, computers, smart boards, iPads, wheelchairs, or hearing aids. All of these products are a benefit to students because they are key essentials to helping them learn. One student may need a computer in order to read content or have headphones plugged in so they can listen to the content. Another student may need an iPad to do their homework because they have difficulties writing but can type or say what they mean to the iPad. IPads can also help special needs students who can’t talk, talk. With an app those students are able to participate in the classroom and not be secluded like they were in the past.

Another great technology to be used in classrooms is hearing aids or cochlear ear implants. These devices have made life for not just students but people in general much easier. Hearing aids makes hearing impaired students able to participate in class and answer questions instead of having to sit there and not know what is going on. Hearing aids also helps students to engage with other students because they can hear and respond with speech instead of sign language and have the other person not know what they are saying.

Another great use of technology in classrooms is electric wheelchairs which makes it easier for students to get around the school. They are able to be more independent within the school like getting themselves to class, going to breakfast and lunch, participating in gym, and playing on the playground to the best of their ability. Wheelchairs can also help students who can’t stand, stand. There is a special chair that can essentially unfold to put the person in the chair into a standing position. That to me is the most absolute and best use of a wheelchair there can be. To be able to give the gift of standing back to someone is something not every wheelchair bound person gets to experience.

Expectations, Classroom Management & Discipline - Relationships

Relationships are the most important part of teaching because they build the foundation for the classroom. If teachers don’t have relationships with students teaching and connecting lessons is much harder because they don’t know their students. The first step to building relationships is to simply have conversations with the students and pay attention to what they say so you can apply their interests into lessons. Knowing what students like also helps to build connections between students and help them become friends or at least discover common interests between them. Discovering common interests could also be used to group students or students could be grouped with different interests so they get exposed to new interests and become closer to other classmates.

Conclusion

Based on the research in Cheung’s article, positive student-teacher relationships have been a huge part of students’ academic success. Relationships also help with classroom management because the better the relationship the more they trust and respect you. Respect goes a long way in any relationship. To end up essays why I want to be a teacher, my purpose of becoming a teacher doesn't relate to earning money. Of course it's a great benefit, but not the main one. The main passion is in the desire to teach and to show children that education is important and helpful.