|
I have been teaching for seven years now and even after teaching some students that have been labeled with learning disorders
and behavior disorders, I know that every person has a great desire to learn. In working with teens, I have come across students
that want to be "hard" and impress their classmates by leading them to believe that they do not care about their
education and only want to socialize during class time. When given the opportunity to show what they do know about life and
how that is involved in our daily lessons, those students begin to come alive and open their minds and hearts to learning
again. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to provide that opportunity for children by meeting their individual needs.
I do believe that some students do need the outside help from counselors and family members, but in essence all people want
to better themselves through education.
Each student brings to class a basic understanding of concepts. The everyday life situations that they encounter are the
perfect way to let them know that they are capable of grasping the concepts that are covered in their courses. It then becomes
easier to guide them through the higher levels of understanding when they are confident about their learning capabilities.
Using real-life situations when teaching, such as collaborative instruction, gives students an opportunity to experience the
benefits of working with others and equips them with the understanding that in life, in order for us to progress, we must
work with others and learn from others.
After all of these years of teaching it still amazes me how when I mention to students that they will be tutoring younger
students and teaching them lessons, they immediately begin to focus on the lessons and get excited about learning. The first
year I taught Environmental Science, I had my students perform skits and make movies about what they wanted the school community
to know about the environmental problems in our community. Each student in my class worked before and after school to make
sure they were ready. That class was composed of students that were not college bound and in the special education program.
Their work inspired me to continue that practice each year and to include some form of service learning in each of my classes.
The students continue to inspire others each year through their work. As my former students return each year to offer assistance
with the Earth Day Symposium (even after graduation), I see how essential it is to involve students to use what they learn
each day to benefit their community.
Your Philosophy View Philosophies
|
