Becoming a Teacher

I want to become a teacher because it is field full of versatility and novelty in ideas and skills. Education is the foundation of opportunity, and I want to give young people all the opportunities I've had. It is because of these opportunities that I feel that I was called to the field of education. Every person who has ever been in school knows that there are teachers we will remember and teachers we will forget. We will remember some teachers because of what they taught us, some we will remember because of why they taught us. Students in my class may not leave with a complete grasp and understanding on linking verbs or calculus, but they will gain a little bit more knowledge about life.

I now want to tell you about some of my personal goals I would like to accomplish. First of all, I would like to try a harder to enhance my students in becoming a morally ethical person. When I become a teacher, I want to be nothing less then a well-developed positive influence on my students and fellow staff because the best way to lead is to lead by example. A lot of times a teacher is the only positive influence a child will have in their lives. If a student sees me doing something that is wrong, in or out of the classroom, than it is likely that, that student will think it is ok to do that action. This is not a good thing. In becoming a teacher I would like my students to be able to see in me the right way to live, not the wrong way. 

I know that I will have to work hard to become a teacher, but without hard work there is no excellence. Becoming a teacher and a coach isn't the easiest road to go down, but it is certainly a road where you are able to have an influence on young people. Children are the future of this country, and I want to do my part in ensuring that our future is in good hands. I know I have a high vision for the future, but vision is the world's most desperate need. I will teach children everything they need to know to get through school. I also however will focus on the bigger picture. School may seek to get you ready for an examination, but life gives the finals. My desire to teach comes from my love of always wanting to help others. I am a compassionate person who wants to help others out in any way that I can. For me being able to educate children and maybe even effect their lives are all the reward that I could ever ask for.

Educators have the important responsibility of ensuring that their students become productive and responsible members of society. As an educator I will model to my students respect, value and positive self efficacy. Implementing classroom rules and procedures can help to guide the students in making the correct choices of behavior. Students deserve our trust, honesty, fairness, nurturing and commitment. I have observed many teachers out in the field that have worked with their students to help them plan and manage their own responsibilities by introducing lessons that contain many pillars of building character; caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness. I, too, will embrace these pillars as an educator. They will be at the forefront in my classroom.

Variables as socioeconomic status, family structure, student culture, student behavior, educational conditions, and educational practices provides compelling evidence that sociopolitical policies can specifically influence the educational achievement of children from underserved racial and ethnic groups. (Jaekyung, 2002) This is important knowledge for urban and rural educators because children of color are disproportionately represented in high-need schools and communities.

Limited financial resources affect increasingly diverse populations, their schools, and their communities. This factor also directly contributes to our current shortage of teachers. The only schools that have few problems finding and keeping teachers are those located in suburbs with ample resources and stable populations. And while projected growth in school enrollments and teacher retirements implies an increasing need for educators, the declining number of college students choosing to teach in high-need areas makes it even more difficult for urban and rural schools to find good teachers. In addition to struggling with current frustrations about working state of affairs that affect teacher protection, high-need schools face a common critical shortage of qualified instructors.

Programs to recruit and train teachers for high-need schools have not sufficiently addressed the shortages we face now, and declining college enrollments in mathematics, special education, foreign language, and some sciences suggest that a crisis will emerge in the near future. The teacher shortage has resulted in the increasing use of long-term substitutes, out-of-subject certification waivers, and reassignment of certified teachers to teach subjects in which they have little to no preparation. To be successful, schools must then keep them. Poor working conditions--inadequate resources, large class sizes, and lower salaries--result in greater teacher turnover in high-need districts as teachers either leave the profession or transfer to suburban schools. (Ildiko, 2002) 

References

• Jaekyung Lee, "Racial and Ethnic Achievement Gap Trends: Reversing the Progress toward Equity?" Educational Researcher, January/February 2002, pp. 3-12.
• Ildiko Laczko-Kerr and David Berliner, "The Effectiveness of 'Teach for America' and Other Under-Certified Teachers on Student Academic Achievement: A Case of Harmful Public Policy," Education Policy Analysis Archives, 6 September 2002, p. 2.