I would like to know why you chose this field and what past experiences have helped you create your approach and philosophy in regards to teaching. What kind of kids do you hope to encounter and change their lives with your approach. Every teacher you had affected you in some way positive or negative.
What are some of those experiences and how did they help you mold your dreams of becoming a teacher?
-JL
I chose this field because I have memories of high school that are quite conflicting to myself. I loved school, I was a bookworm to every extent possible. But there came a point in time when I felt so unchallenged by my own teachers, including Advanced Placement classes.
Every teacher has helped shape who I want or do not want to be as a teacher. Three in particular from my high school experience are what I use as a reminder daily to motivate me to be the best that I can be for students. My AP Senior English teacher I can honestly say saw me for maybe 4 weeks total during the entire semester because he was too easy on our class. When the first day of class after summer break happened and I was the only student to complete the reading of the Scarlett Letter and do the writing assignment, it was obvious the course would be easy. We had 3 months to complete this, yet one student did it. His response was to give us another week to do it. How many turned it in after that, I'm not sure. The class was simply unfocused, to easy, and he let them all off the hook for everything, including not utilizing class time for a 10 page research paper. After working diligently on the assignment to turn in the required material due at phase check points, by the half way mark he changed the entire lesson. Either finish the assignment with what work you have or you could just do this easier assignment because too many students were not doing the work. I was pretty crushed...I knew as a teacher I could not be like this. This is the point where I knew being a high school teacher that provided students with a challenge is what I needed to do.
And then there's the teacher that I had the least. I believe I had maybe two classes with him, yet saw him everyday during study hall time in the Deaf Education department. He was completely deaf and teaching students, both hearing and deaf. When I first met him during freshman year I was not exactly the easiest student to have. It was my first year being around so many other students with a 'disability' like myself, with others who couldn't hear. It was a new concept, I grew up in a world of hearing as the girl who couldn't hear. So when I saw him as a teacher who could not hear but taught I was amazed! I never realized that it was possible to do something so significant while being the odd ball out. My parents always told me I could do anything I wanted, and while I believed them, it was hard to imagine being a teacher that to students when I could not hear what they would be saying to me. Too much complication in my opinion. But at least through him, I knew it was possible. He inspired me to continue going after my dream no matter what challenges there were. And I have.
I guess one of the best ways to say this is I went into wanting to teach thinking I could only teach other deaf students because by the time I would be a teacher I would be completely deaf myself. That was the plan, graduate and then go for a Masters (which at the time was required in order to teach Deaf Education). Although eventually I would like to do this, my passion was not for Deaf Education, It was simply teaching in the world I knew-the hearing world. Now though, this is possible because of the operation that I underwent in 2010 to recieve the Cochlear Implant. Now more than ever I look back and remember why I wanted to be a teacher and I remember these teachers who helped inspire me.
As as I mentioned in my first blog that I always knew I wanted to be a teacher at a young age, it just took me until senior year to realize that not only do I love teaching and changing peoples lives, but I want to challenge students. I want them feel like they can do anything, no matter how difficult it is. As long as they try they are doing it- whether they fail on the first time or second is not the questions. Its about attempting to try, learning through experience, and changing their thinking process. Life gives you lemons so we make lemonaides. I feel so strongly towards teaching, even on the hardest days, that this is simply my calling. I'm not, nor have I ever been a social butterfly and yet I love teaching people and helping them learn something new. That face they make when they have a realization after trying for so long to learn something, that is what it is about to me. The pay means nothing. I have never even looked at what the average teacher makes, nor have I asked anyone because I've learned that when you love doing something you do it for the passion and the happiness it brings you. Seeing students learning is what makes me happy.
-JL
I chose this field because I have memories of high school that are quite conflicting to myself. I loved school, I was a bookworm to every extent possible. But there came a point in time when I felt so unchallenged by my own teachers, including Advanced Placement classes.
Every teacher has helped shape who I want or do not want to be as a teacher. Three in particular from my high school experience are what I use as a reminder daily to motivate me to be the best that I can be for students. My AP Senior English teacher I can honestly say saw me for maybe 4 weeks total during the entire semester because he was too easy on our class. When the first day of class after summer break happened and I was the only student to complete the reading of the Scarlett Letter and do the writing assignment, it was obvious the course would be easy. We had 3 months to complete this, yet one student did it. His response was to give us another week to do it. How many turned it in after that, I'm not sure. The class was simply unfocused, to easy, and he let them all off the hook for everything, including not utilizing class time for a 10 page research paper. After working diligently on the assignment to turn in the required material due at phase check points, by the half way mark he changed the entire lesson. Either finish the assignment with what work you have or you could just do this easier assignment because too many students were not doing the work. I was pretty crushed...I knew as a teacher I could not be like this. This is the point where I knew being a high school teacher that provided students with a challenge is what I needed to do.
And then there's the teacher that I had the least. I believe I had maybe two classes with him, yet saw him everyday during study hall time in the Deaf Education department. He was completely deaf and teaching students, both hearing and deaf. When I first met him during freshman year I was not exactly the easiest student to have. It was my first year being around so many other students with a 'disability' like myself, with others who couldn't hear. It was a new concept, I grew up in a world of hearing as the girl who couldn't hear. So when I saw him as a teacher who could not hear but taught I was amazed! I never realized that it was possible to do something so significant while being the odd ball out. My parents always told me I could do anything I wanted, and while I believed them, it was hard to imagine being a teacher that to students when I could not hear what they would be saying to me. Too much complication in my opinion. But at least through him, I knew it was possible. He inspired me to continue going after my dream no matter what challenges there were. And I have.
I guess one of the best ways to say this is I went into wanting to teach thinking I could only teach other deaf students because by the time I would be a teacher I would be completely deaf myself. That was the plan, graduate and then go for a Masters (which at the time was required in order to teach Deaf Education). Although eventually I would like to do this, my passion was not for Deaf Education, It was simply teaching in the world I knew-the hearing world. Now though, this is possible because of the operation that I underwent in 2010 to recieve the Cochlear Implant. Now more than ever I look back and remember why I wanted to be a teacher and I remember these teachers who helped inspire me.
As as I mentioned in my first blog that I always knew I wanted to be a teacher at a young age, it just took me until senior year to realize that not only do I love teaching and changing peoples lives, but I want to challenge students. I want them feel like they can do anything, no matter how difficult it is. As long as they try they are doing it- whether they fail on the first time or second is not the questions. Its about attempting to try, learning through experience, and changing their thinking process. Life gives you lemons so we make lemonaides. I feel so strongly towards teaching, even on the hardest days, that this is simply my calling. I'm not, nor have I ever been a social butterfly and yet I love teaching people and helping them learn something new. That face they make when they have a realization after trying for so long to learn something, that is what it is about to me. The pay means nothing. I have never even looked at what the average teacher makes, nor have I asked anyone because I've learned that when you love doing something you do it for the passion and the happiness it brings you. Seeing students learning is what makes me happy.
With your Cochlear implants, do you think that in an actual school environment you'll struggle or is it something that you've thought of and will over come like you have everything else? Or will you go about teaching students hard of hearing instead to give them hope and show them what they can accomplish if they try?
-AB
With my implants I do plan to teach in a normal (hearing) school environment and I am sure there will be times that I will struggle but that is something all teachers will face at some point or another. While I do have fears on how successfull I can be as a teacher to hearing students when I am obviously not as "hearing" as they are, I am confident that however it works out, it's the way it is supposed to be. So in a sense-Yes, I will overcome it just as I have everything else. I also feel that the cochlear implant is what will allow me to be a teacher to hearing students, not just deaf students.
But! I also want to use my story for students (not just hard-of-hearing) to see how they can do ANYTHING they set their minds to, not matter what their situation is. Dream big, and make it happen.
-AB
With my implants I do plan to teach in a normal (hearing) school environment and I am sure there will be times that I will struggle but that is something all teachers will face at some point or another. While I do have fears on how successfull I can be as a teacher to hearing students when I am obviously not as "hearing" as they are, I am confident that however it works out, it's the way it is supposed to be. So in a sense-Yes, I will overcome it just as I have everything else. I also feel that the cochlear implant is what will allow me to be a teacher to hearing students, not just deaf students.
But! I also want to use my story for students (not just hard-of-hearing) to see how they can do ANYTHING they set their minds to, not matter what their situation is. Dream big, and make it happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment