There is no excuse to be anything but excellent; this is a philosophy my school believes in. It is also a philosophy I intend to use in my future teaching career and in setting my goals.
My first goal, is to get to know all of my students’ names. This is an important goal for me, because it will allow me to recognize and acknowledge my students outside of the classroom. In my opinion acknowledging students outside of the classroom helps make a connection with them, because they realize that you care about them inside and outside the classroom.
In addition to learning all of my students’ names, I also want to get to know them through their reading selections. I know this will be difficult with the number of students in my classroom (33), but I feel it is necessary to put this kind of effort forward. Knowing what my students enjoy reading will allow me to suggest some new titles and authors to them, and it will also allow for me to see what kinds of texts keep them engaged. Not to mention it will give me a booklist of suggested reading. It is another policy in my placement school for students to carry a book to read with them at all times. When there is extra time within classrooms, teachers often have students take out their books and read. So I know in advance that every student has a book that they can share with me.
Knowing a broad span of books students are actually checking out and reading will lead me to my next goal. This semester I not only want to discover new books through my students but to expand my own personal library as well. In my future classroom I want to have a plethora of books, authors, and all genres available to my future students. By knowing what my students are reading, I can ensure that the books on my shelf can hold some future student’s imagination as well.
Next I want to find a way to make English an enjoyable experience for all of my students, especially when I get to teach my unit. I will do this in several different ways. First, I will be sure to find a way to relate the material to my students by connecting it to some aspect of their life, whether that might be music, community, or special interests. It is important to remember that even things like grammar worksheets can be made to relate to students. This requires more work on my part, but as I said there are no excuses for giving my students anything but my absolute best. Second, I will always bring high energy and enthusiasm into the classroom and into my unit. Excitement is contagious, and it is up to me to bring the excitement into the classroom. Once it is there I am sure my students will spread it around the room. Third, I will ensure to incorporate activities for different learning styles. Not only will this make my unit more enjoyable, but it will help all students learn through their strengths, not through the majorities strengths.
My goal this semester, and for the rest of my teaching career, is to always bring everything I can to the table. Anything less than excellence on my part, excuses or not, is disservice to my students.
