Characteristics of a Caring Teacher

           When it comes to being a caring teacher, the first thing I think about is putting the students first. I plan on doing this in many ways. I know that I will believe in all of my students because as long as I have faith in them they will be able to believe in themselves. Knowing someone believes in you and has faith that you can accomplish something always makes it easier to succeed in the long run. I also plan on treating all of my students with respect and to listen to them because I know that if I do not give them respect, I will not get any respect in return. Also, I plan on attending my students extra-curricular activities because I knew, as an athlete in high school, it really meant a lot to me because it showed me that they supported me in more than just academics and in their class room. I feel as if this helped me to make a closer relationship with my teachers because they knew me as more than just the girl in their third period class. I plan on attending a lot of my students activities because I know how that made me feel about my teachers and I just want them to know that I support them. I feel that if the students know that you listen to, support, and respect them it will allow them to give you the same thing in return.

            Another one of the key concepts of a caring teacher is that they should be work oriented. When I become a teacher I plan to devote everything to my job. I feel as if the student come to class ready and prepared, so should I. It would be completely unfair if I would show up to class not having any idea what I was teaching for the day or how long it would take. Every teacher should use their class time wisely and have a specific lesson plan ready ahead of time that way nothing is rushed or misunderstood. I also feel that every teacher should be willing to work outside of the classroom. For example, attending and volunteering to work at after school activities, grading papers outside of the classroom, and making lesson plans ahead of time. These few things can show how much you care about your teaching job and your students. I plan to be trusted by my teaching staff and my students that I will always put my students and work first.

            When I become a teacher I hope to be very active and engage my students in their education so that they are able to enjoy coming to my class every day.  I feel as if this is extremely important because if your students look forward to interacting with you in your class, it will make them want to learning and give you their attention. If I know what I am talking about more than likely the students will listen especially if I let them interact with what we are learning about. It could be simple this as randomly having class outside or having a guest speaker or even having an experiment so the student never know what to expect each day. I want to be able to provide assignments that the students actually look forward to doing instead of dreading them. With some of the teachers today, they seem to stick straight to the book and do not let their students physically or emotional experiment with the topics. I want to be able to relate my teachings and knowledge to the students’ daily lives. The main thing I want my student to know is that I want them to be the best they can be and that I am willing and will push them to reach their goals and dreams. I had many teachers like that throughout my life and they made me into the woman I am today. I want my students to be able to say that I helped them reach their goals and succeed.

Influential People

           While growing up I had many influential people in my life. Other than my family members the people that stand out the most were my teachers. Every one of them, from my Pre-School teachers at St. James Catholic School to my professors here at Mount Union College, have impacted my life in some way.  Some of them impacted me through the curriculum they taught me, others through their personality and enthusiasm to teach, and a few by their willingness to push me to succeed and strive for to be the best.  All of these teachers have influenced my decision of wanting to become a teacher in their own individual ways and I hope when I further my career I will be able to be just like them.

Having wonderful teachers like I did throughout my elementary, middle, and high school years made me realize that teaching would be something I was really interested in.  As a young child I attended a private catholic school, St. James, from Pre-School to the Sixth Grade. While attending St. James I had formed very close bonds with all of the teachers there because there was only a maximum of twenty students in each classroom and grade. With this happening it gave the teacher plenty of time to get to know her students beyond the classroom. With these teachers being able to know everything about me made me feel more comfortable around them and made me look up to the teachers even more because they cared about my activities outside of school, even though I was so young. As a child I always wanted to be at school because I loved all of my teachers, which is why I had perfect attendance all throughout school until my freshman year of high school. They showed me that caring about each and every one of your students makes them want to come to school every day because they know that someone is at school wanting to see them and wanting to teach them more about the life around them. I want to be able to bring this mentality to all of my students when I become a teacher. I want them to know that I will care about every one of them and be willing to do anything to help to succeed. I wanted to be just like all my teachers.  In high school I had many teachers similar to the ones I had in elementary school. Many of my teachers in high school pushed me to achieve not just in school and sports but in everything. They taught me that nothing was impossible and that I could do anything I set my mind to. With all of them pushing me to do my best I believe they helped form me into part of who I am today. If it were not for them being there every day to help me succeed I do not believe I would have excelled in school and sports as much as I did. Also, in high school, many of my teachers were energetic about teaching which made everything about their classes so much easier. The teachers like this also helped make my decision about teaching because I could tell that they loved everything about their job and did not mind coming in every day and being around children. They were willing to step outside of class and do anything you needed them to do, write a recommendation letter, talk about your day, or just acknowledge you as you walk down the hall. These kinds of teachers made me realize that I would be interested in teaching because they showed their love for the job and nothing ever made them not want to come to school in the morning.

          As you can tell, the teachers I have had growing up have had a big influence on why I am interested in becoming a teacher for the rest of my life. I feel as if teacher can have the biggest impact on children of all ages. I figured teaching would be good for me because I want to be there for children and love working with people. I love the interaction and knowing that I am able to teach them something.  I want to be the kind of teacher like I had, pushing my students to be the best they can be, but also having them enjoys themselves as they succeed. I want the students to be able to look up to me and say that maybe one day they want to be like me and do the things I do. I can see myself being a kind of pushy teacher just because I would want the best for my students. I also see myself being a fun and interactive teacher. I do not want to be the teacher no student wants to have because my class is boring and they get nothing out of it. I want to be able to do for my students what my former teacher have done for me. I want to be able to see their faces light up once they learn and understand something. I want to be able to feel satisfied and accomplished after seeing all my students excel in everything they do.

The Case for Special Education Vouchers

            In the journal titled “The Case for Special Education Vouchers” by Stuart Buck and Jay P. Greene informs of how many special education students parents are able to have the student’s education paid for by the school only if the parents of that student ask the school. It informs us of how all students, no matter what their needs are should have the exact same opportunity to learn and be educated as all other students. In the article it states the special education voucher laws which consist of the four key provisions, every child, no matter how disabled, has a right to a free and appropriate education no matter what the setting, an Individualized Education Plan must be designed for each child in consultation with his or her parents, the child should be educated in the “least restrictive environment”, and the parents can object to the educational provisions for their child by requesting a “due process” hearing with an independent hearing officer, whose decisions can be appealed to the courts. These laws show how education should be equally available to all and any students.

            When analyzing this journal, I agree that every child, no matter what his or her disabilities, should have an equal opportunity to be educated. Every child, no matter what, has the right to learn and further their education. I do believe that students who have special needs should have the opportunity to get the help that they need, such as help from an Individualized Education Plan or even a tutor as long as it approved by the parents and the parents address the situation with the school. One thing that I do not agree with in the journal was how the special education students are able to get an education for free but all other students parents have to pay. To me only having some of the students pay, somewhat contradicts the idea of every student have an equal opportunity to receive an education. Other than that one disagreement, I think the journal is right and every child no matter what disabilities they may have should be able to receive an education.

Literacy Night at Alliance Early Learning Center

      When first being asked to help out at the Alliance Early Learning Center's Literacy Night, I thought it was going to deal with reading with the students and sharing different stories and activities with the students and their parents. Once I had arrived at the learning center I realized that the event had nothing to do with reading. The event was a way for parents and students to get involved and work together on different activities. At the Literacy Night there were three activities that the students and parents did. They had three stations, a noodle dying station, a play-dough making station, and a silly putty station. It was very nice being able to see how excited the students were to work together with their parents. All the students made their parents stick their hands in the putty and play-dough because they loved the reaction of the parents. I really enjoyed the Literacy Night because I got the chance to meet some of the students that I am observings parents and I got to see some of the students outside of school and business attire. I feel as though the students felt special while introducing me to their parents because they all made it a point to make sure their parents knew that I was the "helper" in the classroom. Overall, I thought this was a great experience.