Teaching, as I have learned in my field experience, is one of the toughest and most rewarding professions in existence. It requires energy, patience, confidence, and spontaneity. It is not for the faint-hearted. During student teaching, I dealt with a range of emotions. I felt empathy when a student was crying in class, frustration when students wouldn’t turn work in, fear when I was teaching something new, and happiness when students showed interest in my life.
I know the social aspect of school is important. Each class is its own community. To encourage personal growth in students and to prepare them for departure from High School, a teacher must create a tolerant atmosphere in which students’ cultures are respected, their strengths and weaknesses are discussed one-on-one, and expectations for them are positive and realistic. In addition, I believe a teacher should teach to the level they want their students to be. I am going to have high expectations- but what that means for me is I have to put in the effort. I can strive for them to write a ten page paper that is well-written, creative, and correctly formatted; but that means I have to teach them all those skills. I can’t assume they know everything I know.
One teacher that practiced a lot of my personal beliefs was my professor at George Mason University for English489: Advanced Nonfiction Writing for Publication (we’ll call him Dr.X). He created positive teacher to student relationships, increasing student motivation and enthusiasm- which I value. Dr. X got to know each student in the class personally- both explicitly by conversation, and implicitly through our writing. We had a paper due every week and although it was a nonfiction class, our writing could still be about personal experiences. He would bring in helpful hints for us, and inform us of events extraneous to the classroom like author visits or book signings. He also motivated us by pinpointing a weakness most everyone struggles with at some point- writer’s block. He made handouts with strategies to overcome writer’s block. This gave us the sense that someone was trying to help us write; and that we were all in the same boat.
I plan on writing a few novels too, and was lucky to have Dr.X because he forced us to send in one of our pieces of writing to a magazine. We familiarized ourselves with the real-world process of sending material in for publication (or rejection). For students who are unsure of their writing or reading skills, I can provide constructive feedback and show my interest in their success.
This feedback from and collaboration between the teacher and peers is beneficial for students’ growth as writers- it boosts their confidence and forces them to accept criticism. For me, watching student progress over the year would be fulfilling; because I know that writing is a priceless skill, and with increasing focus in schools today on science or technology, I want to make sure my students don’t neglect English, the subject on which most others are based.
I believe I can get them interested in reading by assigning books I know they can relate to. More students will be eager to read Friday Night Lights than Romeo & Juliet; but there is a place for both in the classroom. I think there’s a place for classics, but also a place for new, recent literature. Even with the classics, which some students think they can’t relate to, I believe I can find ways for them to identify with the story or characters.
There is a plethora of literature to teach out there, and I value something with substance that’s meticulously crafted, like Sense and Sensibility. Those books which took years to write make me appreciate literature. They also inspire me to write. I hope I inspire a few future authors in my classroom as well. I also hope with all the technology today, like movies and the internet, books don’t become obsolete. I hope they never become a thing of the past, like a fossil someone digs up three hundred years from now and says, “What’s this?”
In my classroom, my hope is to make the students truly want to be there. I hope to facilitate their appreciation in the things they’re learning by emphasizing the real-world usefulness of the curriculum. I believe education should guide students in not only learning facts, but also ignite desire to look deeper into what they learn. English helps you view the world differently. After reading a novel, analyzing characters, and seeing how relationships and events connect, you see your own life in a different way. You’re better at making connections, you think more deeply about the significance of things and your surroundings, and you are a more reflective person. .
A teacher once told me, “Actual teaching is twenty percent of the job… the rest is dealing with people.” I’m involved in the students’ lives. I will hear about their worries and fears; and I will hear the sometimes harsh realities of their home lives. I may be the only person a student can turn to, and that’s a lot of pressure.
In English class especially, the teacher is crucial. Students can’t fill in bubbles and get the correct answer like a math worksheet. I have to guide them through their journey through books and writing as they discover new things about themselves. If I guide them properly, they will become more reflective about how they write and present themselves on paper—which can translate into real life.