Wierenga 1

Abigail Wierenga
Professor Bobeldyk
Education 102-D
October 17, 2012
My Teacher Identity
Even since I was a little girl I have wanted to become a teacher. I loved playing
teacher with my dolls and with my brother. I loved learning new things and teaching
them. When I got to school I loved every moment of it. My favorite teacher was my first
grade teacher named Mrs. VandenBurg. I loved going to school and seeing her and
learning from her. She was always so kind and caring. She made teaching fun and
enjoyable. After first grade I was certain that I wanted to be a teacher because she
inspired me. As I went through the rest of my school experience I took note of what
teachers inspired me and why. Through my years in school I noticed my teachers
always partnered me with the special needs kids in our class to work on projects and
such. The teachers saw that I worked really well with them and I came to realize that I
really enjoyed it. I decided that my true passion was teaching special education.
Another reason that I knew that I was called to be a teacher is that I love helping
people. I feel at my best when I am helping someone. As a teacher I want to help kids
become the best that they can be. I want to be the person that Mrs. VandenBurg was to
me. I want to be the reason that kids want to go to school in the morning. I want to help
kids discover the person that they are supposed to become. As a teacher I want to
create a identity for myself. In this class we are talking about different things that can
Wierenga 2

help us to create an identity for ourselves. This class is helping me to create a teacher
identity and the things that follow are what I hope to include in it.
In class we talked about many different things that helped us think about what it
meant to become a teacher. We talked about how our schooling experience would
shape who we became as teachers. Being at a Christian school all my life has given
me many examples of good Christian teachers. I have looked up to many of them and
aspire to be like them. Another thing that we talked about in class was how to make a
good lesson plan. I really enjoyed learning about that because as a prospective teacher
I need to know how to make a lesson plan. Lesson plans are important because they
are a basic in teaching. We also had to make a lesson plan for part of a reading that we
did and teach it to our accountability partners. This helped me to get a peak at what
teaching really feels like. Another thing that we learned about was curriculum.
Curriculum aims are general goals that provide a framework for action
(VanBrummelen, 2002, pg. 14). Learning about lesson plans and what curriculum is
helped me to realize what all goes into teaching. All of these different things that we
learned about in class helped me to realize how important it is to not only learn how to
be a teacher, but also helped me to start creating my own teacher identity.
Another thing that we did in class that I really enjoyed was having accountability
partners. I really enjoyed having someone to talk to about everything. I loved having
someone who I knew was praying for me and who would be there to help me. When I
become a teacher I want to find someone who can be my accountability partner. Also, I
want to be an accountability partner for my students. I want them to pray for and
challenge me and I want to do the same for them.
Wierenga 3

When I was in middle school I had a mentor named Suzzy. She went to my high
school and had my mom as a teacher. She sang on the worship team at my church and
even taught one of my Sunday school classes. In middle school my parents decided
that it would be a good idea for me to have a mentor, someone who I could look up to.
Someone who I could talk to about stuff that I couldnt talk to my parents about. Suzzy
had been a role model for me when I was younger and now having her as my mentor
was amazing. She became a close friend and confidant. Having her as a mentor
helped me get through my though middle school years.
When we had to choose a metaphor for our teaching style I immediately thought
of a mentor. I want to be the person that Suzzy was for me for other kids. In life
everyone needs a mentor, someone to guide them and be their encouragers and
number one fans. As a teacher it is my job to guide my students through the material. I
am the one who will be their cheerleader when they succeed, and their helper when
they dont. A mentor is someone who we look up to. I want to be a teacher that my kids
look up to and someone they trust. As a teacher I need to be an authority figure and a
friend and a mentor is someone who is both. Someone who enforces the rules and who
kids can go to when they need someone to talk to.
In class we discussed with our accountability partners and with the class what we
thought our strengths are. In my life I have been told that I am a very kind person. I
tend to pride myself in being kind to everyone around me and being someone who
people enjoy hanging out with. I also have been told that I am easy to talk to and am a
good listener. I love listening to people and helping talk through their problems with
them. In high school I was selected to be a CARE leader, Christs Arms Reaching
Wierenga 4

Everyone. We were students trained by the school councilors to be confidential
listeners for our peers. I enjoyed being a CARE leader because I could use my strength
of being a good listener. Patience is the strength that I am most frequently
complimented on. I have been told by many people that I am one of the most patient
people that know. I pride myself in enduring suffering and not getting upset and
knowing that I can tolerate most people. I am the oldest cousin on both sides of my
family so I have had my fair share of being patient. All of my strength I believe will help
me in becoming a teacher. Teachers have to be kind, good listeners, and patient. I
believe that having all these qualities will help me to become a good teacher.
In class we also discussed our weaknesses. I think that one of my weaknesses
is not being able to accept criticism well. I do not like being told that I am doing
something wrong or that I have to change what I am doing. I like to be independent and
do my own thing and when I am told that I am not doing it right I am not very accepting
of the criticism. I have a pretty strong pride and I do not enjoy my pride being bashed
when I am told that I am in the wrong. I do not like to take other peoples opinions into
mind, so when I am on my way to becoming a teacher I hope to get better at that. I
want to be able to take constructive criticism and not feel that my pride gets wounded
when it is given to me.
Knowing that I have always wanted to be a teacher I was really excited to take
this class. I learned a lot in this class and it has made me super excited to become a
teacher. I enjoyed learning about the different aspects of being a teacher from lesson
planning to how our own schooling experiences have shaped who we are. Having an
accountability partner was helpful because I always knew someone is there for me on
Wierenga 5

this journey to becoming a teacher. Choosing a metaphor for our teaching was really
helpful to me. It helped me to think more deeply about what kind of a teacher I wanted
to be. Another thing that we discussed in class were our strengths and weaknesses.
This was helpful for me in creating my teacher identity because it helped me to realize
what things I was truly good at and what things I will need help in.
As a teacher I want to be committed to learning from my mistakes and from
others. I want to always be someone who my students and fellow teachers feel like
they can talk to. I want to be mentor to my students, someone who will always be there
for them. I also commit to using my strengths to their fullest extent and accepting my
weakness and working through them. I want to be the best teacher that God has made
me to be.












Wierenga 6



Works Cited
VanBrummelen, R (2002). Steppingstones to curriculum. Colorado Springs, CO:
Purposeful Design.