Top five reasons for becoming a teacher:
1. I love learning, and I hope to be able to share this with my students.
2. I want to work at a job that is challenging, where I get to do something different everyday.
3. I want to be able to have a positive impact on the lives of others.
4. I want to coach softball.
5. I like the work schedule and the ability to have summers off to travel.
I had a few really amazing teachers when I was growing up. These individuals pushed me to challenge myself and also sparked a passion for learning. I think the teachers that most inspired me were the ones that not only loved to teach, but also loved the subject area that they taught.
In trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a career I always knew that I wanted to do something that would make a difference to somebody. The idea of working in an office everyday, with little interaction with others, always seemed horrible to me. I spent a couple of summers interning at a company where I worked in a cubicle. The pay was good and the work was fairly easy, I hated going to work. I was bored most of the time and felt like what I was doing did not really make a difference to anyone. After working there I decided that I needed to have a job that would challenge me on a daily basis, where I would have an impact on others, and where I could continue to learn and grow.
Five “critical moments” in my schooling career
1. My first assignment in my 11th grade AP US history class focused on the storey
of Christopher Columbus and the “discovery” of America. My teacher asked us to read two chapters on the subject. One chapter was from our state recommended textbook and told the storey from Columbus’ perspective. The other chapter was from Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States and told the storey of the discovery of America from the perspective of the people who already lived there. The next class we discussed the different perspectives presented on the same event. This was the first time that I can really remember a teacher challenging us to think critically about what we read, and how an author’s own perspectives and beliefs may influence a text.
2. My 8th grade language arts teacher also had a big impact on me. While she covered the necessary topics, she also allowed students the freedom to explore their own interests and complete projects in ways that helped them to get a better understanding of the material. This meant that for projects, students had the option of performing skits, creating a sculpture or painting, or coming up with their own ideas. Her way of teaching made class fun and engaging.
3. My senior year of high school I took AP biology. My teacher in that class pushed us to do more than we ever thought we would be able to do. By the end of the class I felt a real sense of accomplishment. I was also really surprised once I got to my college biology class and realized that I had done much more difficult work in my high school biology class.
4. When I was in 7th grade I began taking photography classes in school. I continued to take photography until I graduated from high school. While we still had grades in this class, there was much more of a focus on continual improvement than on what number or letter grade you received on any individual project. The last couple of years I took photography as an independent study class under the direction of my teacher. This experience really taught me a lot about how to work independently, always pushing myself to do the best work that I can.
5. When I was in elementary school I had a really good AG teacher. She encouraged us to explore the world around us. I got excited to learn, and it was the first time that I realized that learning could be fun and did not have to be boring.
My background
I was raised in an upper middle class family in downtown Durham, NC. My parents were very liberal and active in politics. My dad is a lawyer. My mom has her PhD in French has worked in many different fields, including IT work and also working as a school librarian. Growing up I was exposed to people from all different backgrounds and cultures. I went to public schools and played sports in city sponsored leagues.
My parents always emphasized the importance of education, and there was never any question about whether or not I would go to college. They always told me that they would be proud of me no matter what career I chose. The most important thing to them was that I chose a career that would make me happy. I think this really helped me when I made the decision to become a teacher.
Gender Roles
There were not really clearly defined gender roles in my family, everyone just sort of helped out however they could. I think that this fact helped me to be comfortable exploring all different areas of study. I think that this helped to influence my career choice in that I did not feel limited to certain areas that were more fitting to my gender.
I think that my exposure to people from all different kinds of backgrounds as I was growing up had a major influence on my ideas about what a teacher should be and the role of education in today’s society. I believe that education can be a tool to allow people to live the lives that they want to live. It can give them opportunities that they would not have access to without an education. It also allows people to have a more complete understanding of the world around them.
One of the major jobs of teachers should be to teach students how to think critically. The ability to analyze and interpret information is absolutely critical, and it is a fundamental skill necessary to fully engage in society.
Research in the classroom
I think that conducting research is a critical part of the teaching process. No one will ever know all of the answers to the problem, and there is always room for improvement. It is important for teachers to be confident enough in their own abilities to admit that they do not have all of the answers, and that there is always room to learn. This is also an important idea for the students in the classroom to understand. By creating an environment that fosters inquiry, one in which uncertainty and exploration is encouraged, I believe that classroom research can be an extremely beneficial aspect of any classroom.
