A letter from August 25th, 2018

Dear future teacher self, You became a teacher because of every teacher that helped you succeed, the ones that took the time to help you when they knew you were having a hard time concentrating. You became a teacher to be that person for a child like yourself, a child that looks forward to school everyday to escape the chaos of their home life. To have an adult who doesn’t yell at them, that lifts them up and wants them to be successful all of the time. The essential characteristics of an effective teacher is simple, understand each child on their level, be there for them when they think no one else is. Trust is a major component to teaching, if a child trust you, you can teach them the world! I believe that education is more than just teaching the knowledge of simple facts, it is educating a child on how to become a well-rounded human being. Education is meant to help a child succeed even if that means they are not the best at math or reading, helping them understand that there are many different possibilities and paths they can take in order to succeed. Showing them that with practice and a patience they can accomplish anything, even if that accomplishment is getting a D in math. Education should promote independence and understanding that even though we are all different, we can all coexist and help each other out when in need. As a teacher I want my children to become independent thinkers that are good humans. I want each and everyone of them to know that the differences they have make them unique and it is ok. Embrace each others differences and unite to help each other out. I would love for my students to be nice to all the children even though they are not friends with everyone. That is what a good human does, even though we may not like everyone, we need to treat everyone how we would like to be treated. No one likes to be left out or be made fun of. I want my students to know that my classroom is a safe place that everyone is treated with the same respect, no matter who they are, what they wear, where they live, or how they look. I want my them to know, that at the end of the day we are all the same, we are all humans and we need to treat each other like we would like to be treated. What I am most nervous about the teaching profession is will I be taken seriously. I am quirky and really goofy, I tend to not take life too seriously most of the time. I am afraid that these traits will hurt me as a professional, that my colleagues and principals will not take me seriously. I know that children take me seriously, but my main fear is that those in charge will think I am childish because of the way I view life. I hope to overcome this fear and learn ways to help make myself professional, but stay true to who I am and my beliefs. I already have a lot of experience working with children from various walks of life and know how to understand each child on their level. I think having this real life experience will benefit me as a M.A.T student because I can relate to many of the lessons and have a little understanding of certain topics going into class. My experience teaching preschoolers, and working in after-school, summer camp, and drop-in settings will also be beneficial to me as an elementary teacher. I already know how to “control” a large group of children which will help me be a proactive teacher in my early days. I will not have to spend much time on this aspect of teaching and can focus on learning other topics as a student. I just want you to know that you have worked so hard to get to the point you are now, so do not give up and keep pushing like you always do to get to where you want be! You got this! Meagan