Throughout the educational history of American public schooling, schools have been seen as a way to provide opportunities to the future generations. Today education still remains the threshold to a vast array of opportunities. Public schools play a crucial role in leveling the playing field for students. While education begins in the home, it continues in school. Public schools are challenged with the task of educating students from all walks of life. I believe the purpose of education is to provide students with a chance to explore, create, and discover. Education can be the gate to opportunity and success for students, or it can be the chance to discover and pursue passions and interests. To each student, education will take on its own meaning and life. The students’ role in education is to be an active participant in the learning process. They should strive for greatness in all areas, while exploring and examining particular areas of interests. My role as a teacher is to create a learning environment that reaches all students and provokes the desire to become a lifelong learner. I will strive to connect with all my students and develop a rapport with them that lets them know that I genuinely care about them as a person and not simply as a student.

Through my journey of becoming a teacher, I realized that all students can learn. It is the job of the teacher to make learning accessible to all students. One of the most effective ways of including all students in the learning process is to develop your classroom into a community of learners. In my classroom, this community of learners will feel safe to explore new ideas and examine different perspectives. In my classroom the celebration of each student’s unique background will be a major priority. In the Social Studies education we are slated with the task of educating students so they will be effective citizens. One of the best ways to accomplish this task is in to celebrate diversity in all its forms. The United States is a multi-dimensional society where race, genders, socio-economic status, and culture blend together to create a distinctive American culture. In order for students to be able to fully participate in our society, they must be equipped with the skills of examining points from multiple perspectives. As a Social Studies teacher, I will utilize my students’ lives to enrich the class and curriculum with genuine, real life experiences and stories. It is my priority to teach students not just content, but to teach them the skills they will need to fully function and participate in our American society.

I believe students learn best when they are engaged in and challenged by the lesson. Engaging students is a crucial step in the learning process because it allows students to make individual and unique connections with the lessons and transform the knowledge what works for them. The best way to ensure that all students are challenged is through differentiated instruction. As a teacher it is my responsibility to create lessons, enrichment activities, and assignments that match my students’ interests, learning abilities, and learning preferences. Utilizing technology in the classroom is an effective way to increase engagement and challenge students. Incorporating technology allows for digital creativity and responsibility which is becoming extremely important because of the vast amount of technology that is at our students’ fingertips.  Cooperative learning is also another way to increase engagement and challenge students, while also requiring them to take ownership and responsibility of the work they produce. Cooperative learning facilitates the development of crucial skills, such as problem solving and critical thinking, which will aid them both in and out of school.

As a teacher I will arm my students with skills that will help them succeed in the classroom and in real life situations. It is my job to educate students into global citizens and the only way to this is to create a learning environment that is engaging, challenging, and inclusive of students’ individual backgrounds and differences.

 
    I grew up in Harlem, NY (in New York City) in the projects. I know what it is like to be surrounded by drugs and violence. I constantly hear people on the television referring to children in urban environments as “hopeless”, “at-risk”, “delinquents”, or worse. I knew I did not want to live my life like this; so I turned to school. My teachers went above and beyond, they took an interest in my life and who I was. My teachers helped me become who I am today. I hope to one day help students the way my teachers helped me.

                                                                                                                      Ms. Christian