1.
How does education affect your life?
Education has a profound impact on my life; I would not
be who I am today if it were not for my education I’ve received. Some of my
most positive memories about my education are the reasons why I want to work in
the educational world for the rest of my life. For the past 17 years, I’ve
spent more time in school than anything else in my life. Being a student has
been my job since I stepped into preschool and I value it enough that it
remains my full-time job to this day.
Even when I graduate in two years with my bachelor’s
degree in Education, I never wish to stop learning. Although I’ve become
accustomed to school providing my sense of order and routine and think of it as
“my learning place,” I want to constantly be getting an education in my
everyday life. In short, education affects me in countless ways and is very
much a part of who I am.
2.
Why did you choose to become a teacher?
That is a difficult question to ask myself because I
have always known I was going to be a teacher. When I was a little girl, I
played “school” as often as I played house or dress-up. I think it has a lot to
do with the combination of my take-charge personality, my love for learning,
and my passion for helping other people. It may seem very stereo-typical, but I
want to make a difference in the world and I can’t think of a better way to do
that.
When I hear the teaching profession being criticized, I
remind those that even doctors, lawyers, and the Speaker of House depended on a
number of teachers to help them learn all that they know now. For a short time
in high school when I was unsure if teaching was what I really wanted to
pursue, I tried other paths for various reasons. For example, I knew a
pediatrician may make more money or a nurse anesthetist could land a job in a
heartbeat. But nothing makes me happier and thrive to do my best than helping
children learn and grow, so that is why I want to be a teacher.
3.
What changes should a teacher candidate be aware of in today’s world?
A huge change that teachers should be aware of is the
different learning styles of today’s children. They can no longer sit for hours
at a time like past generations were told to do, and this is largely due to the
amount of technology that we constantly are using. Aside from that, another
profound change is the amount of technology being used in classrooms compared
to just ten years ago. I grew up with the overhead projector being the extent
of the technology in my classrooms and now the kindergarten classes are
equipped with Smart Board technology and the kids know exactly how to use them.
Another change to be aware of is cultural backgrounds.
Simply comparing a public school classroom today to one 10 years earlier, there
is much more diversity present in the race and ethnicity. These factors will
also affect how you may teach due to cultural preferences and possible language
barriers.
4. How
can you improve yourself as a teacher candidate?
I can constantly make self-improvements as a teacher
candidate and I can start by going above and beyond in gaining experience in my
field. If there is an opportunity to work with children or volunteer my time to
help out schools in the community, I work hard to find time to do it regardless
of my busy schedule. I also work on my professional skills by attending any
career services events or things offered by our Education department.
I think it is very important that we also work to gain
all the knowledge we can on learning and education. I try to read and re-read
textbooks and notes from past classes, stay up to date on news about education,
and be aware of technology and techniques I can use in the classroom. We have
to be at our best before we can teach at our very best possible!
