I teach...

I became a teacher after I was able to observe a middle school and elementary school setting while in my second semester of my senoior year of high school. I had always thought I wanted to be a physical therapist, but after completing a mentoring program in the fall I realized it wasn't for me. I enjoy working with kids, however the biggest thing that keeps me teaching now is my passion for reading and spreading that to adolescents. I love the idea that everyone can love reading once they find the right material - sports books, fashion magazines, graphic novels, etc. I would consider one of my greatest strengths in teaching to be my respect for students and keeping things fair in my classroom. I do not bend rules, which some may believe is not being fun, but in the long run it helps my classroom to run smoothly and it builds respect with students, between them and with me. I could definitely work on being more personable with my students; I fear that at times I am too serious and do not have enough fun in my classroom. The fact that our school had very low state test scores when I began teaching has forced me to be very regimented in my lessons. I have to cover certain material and I need to make sure that students master it in order to pass the test in the spring. This has been the way my brain has worked for the past four years, and it is hard to change. I do not think that the standards are stifling, but instead use the fact that I have to follow them to inspire me to create engaging lessons. I enjoy having the students work together as often as possible and teach each other as well. This does two things - one: I can tell that they have mastered the material, and two: they are able to understand the material better. Overall, I would say that my four years at what once was a low achieving school has greatly impacted my style of teaching and how I choose to cover content in my class.