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We all have dreams and they are all different. I want to make a difference in people and in life. This is my dream. My students will have dreams too. I believe that my job, as their teacher, is to give them the knowledge and life skills to help them reach their dreams.
I believe that children, no matter what their background, have the potential to succeed. In my classroom, it is very important that my students know that I believe in them and that I am there to help them succeed. I believe that a child's schooling should be a positive experience. To help with this, I want the students to know it is not purely my class; it is their class too. I want them to help take responsibility for the appearance and the duties of their classroom. I want them to have pride in their classroom. I think that a student who feels that he or she is a part of things will have a higher self-esteem. This is very important to me. They should grow in knowledge as well as self-confidence. I believe that a student with some skill and great self-confidence will often perform at a greater level than a child with great skill and little self-confidence.
I believe that a major problem with education today is that we have gotten into the mode of teaching children how to memorize information and recite it back. In this process, I feel that we have neglected teaching our students how to think. I think that a strong background in problem solving will benefit any person. There are many different types of problems that our children will face in life. If they have a stronger background in facing different situations and problems, I feel that they will be much more successful in dealing with problems in life.
I also think another key to student success is a strong background in reading. No matter what a student's dreams are, reading is one of the fundamental things that will help them reach their dreams. Almost everything we do requires reading. To take a math test, the students need to read the directions (and often the problem); to drive the students need to read the road signs. I know there are students who have "gotten through the system" without learning to read. I feel that these children need to be recognized at an early age in order to make them more productive members of society.
I think that a child's perception of reading is based largely on the child's early reading experience. An important belief of mine is that if a child is introduced to reading in a positive way, he or she will have a greater chance of becoming a life long reader. Children who have less confidence or enjoyment in their reading have a greater chance of struggling in other subjects. I also think that students who are strong readers will have a greater chance at being stronger in their other subjects. This will give them better grades, giving them a better chance to get into college, creating a better chance to succeed in college, which gives them a better chance of living a more successful life. If a child gets this far, he or she can do almost anything that he or she dreams. As a teacher, that is what I feel I am meant to do: help children reach their dreams.
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