Benjamin Franklin once said, Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember.

Involve
me and I learn (Benjamin). I believe this powerful statement, if used correctly, can change the
way educators teach. The idea that merely lectures should be used to teach children in their
classrooms has been transformed drastically over the past decades. Eric Jensen (2005) posed a
very important question when he asked, Why do we persist when the evidence that lecture alone
does not cut it is so strong? (P. 60). It is my belief that the best and boldest teachers will not
only allow just themselves to step out of their comfort zone, but in doing so, challenge their
students to as well. Teachers who can demonstrate their own passion for learning will engage
their students and impart much more than just textbook knowledge, but also a love for life-long
learning. It is my goal as an educator to show my students how to enjoy and love learning just as
much as they love the thrill of their favorite video game or hobby. By displaying a professional
level of transparency and trust with my students, incorporating plenty of opportunities for active
movement while learning, and creating a safe environment for mistakes and growth, I believe my
students will achieve academic, social, and mental goals far beyond the walls of my classroom.
On average each student will spend about 40 hours a week at school. For some students,
that time could be more than they spend with their own families! Consequently, students,
parents, and communities consistently have their eyes focused towards teachers. Therefore, it is
important to always display a positive image for children to adhere to. Jensen (2005) states that,
Teachers should model the love of learning, and they should show enthusiasm about their job
Let students know what excites you (p. 79). Each student is like a sponge, soaking in newly
attained knowledge, ideas, and theories. Consequently, teachers have a huge role in what
students will feel towards the educational system. According to the Texas Teacher Proficiencies,
Learner Centered Communication states that, As a leader, the teacher communicates the mission

of the school with learners, professionals, families, and community members The teacher also
communicates effectively as an advocate for each learner (cite). Additional research has found
that, Teachers who help their students feel good about learning through classroom success,
friendships, and celebrations are doing the very things the student brain craves (Jensen, 2005, p.
77). It is my goal as a teacher to inspire my students through my passion for learning. In fact, my
favorite memories of my own teachers throughout grade school were those who were kind,
caring, and compassionate. The teachers that wanted me to love learning just as much as they did
were the ones that made the biggest impact. By sharing my own passion for education with my
students and letting them know what makes me tick, I believe my classroom will be filled with
fun student-teacher interactions and consequently, fun learning!
Would it surprise you to know that the same part of the brain that processes movement,
processes learning as well? Research has shown that exercise not only improves academic
performance but also classroom behavior and social skills (Jensen, 2005, p. 63). In the past,
educators confined movement, emotion, and thinking as individual parts. However, a healthy
integration of the mind and the body is now considered normal in classrooms (p. 65). In my
classroom, I will incorporate movement and learning as an everyday structure. By taking brain
breaks throughout the class day, I believe I will see positive outcomes in my students academic
progress, emotional and social skills, and their classroom behavior.
Have you ever sat in a classroom where all of the content was spoken in a language
foreign to you? My journey through grade school felt a bit like this as I struggled with each and
every math class I was required to take. I vividly remember sitting in my fourth grade math class
one day. My teacher was reviewing the test we had just taken on the overhead monitor while we
graded our papers along with her. At the end of the grading time, my paper was covered in red

Xs and I was terribly confused about how I had gotten so many answers wrong. I flipped my
paper over and over, trying to make some sense of how I had failed so miserably. My teacher
finally noticed the commotion I was making and asked what I was doing. I replied and told her I
was just trying to add up my final score. Embarrassed, I sat my paper on my desk and coasted
through the rest of the class mindlessly. According to Jensen (2005), Getting enough goodquality, accurate feedback may be the single greatest variable for improving learning (p. 55). As
an educator, I am now on the other side of the desk and realize the great importance of creating a
safe environment where my learners can feel free to make mistakes and learn from them. My
fourth grade math experience is just one example of how the brain is structured in order to retain
memories that are attached to negative emotions. Jensen states that, For some biological reason,
our brain systems are set up to experience pain and sadness longer than joy We are more likely
to remember an experience with a negative bias than one with a positive bias (p. 76-77).
Although I struggled with mathematics growing up, I now view those experiences as motivation
for my own students success. I want my learners to be comfortable in my classroom, and most
importantly, to grow from their mistakes. Any student could have a graded paper covered in red
Xs, but it is my job and goal as an educator to ensure that those negative experiences are
tended to with enough positive feedback and result in positive emotional states in my learners.
The tremendous responsibility of an educator to teach not only textbook content, but to
tend for the emotional and social needs of their students, is one that I take great pride in. In his
college paper on the purpose of education, Martin Luther King Jr. (1947) wrote that, The
function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically Intelligence
plus character that is the goal of education. My goals for my classroom are to: remain
transparent in my love for learning, incorporate movement as an everyday structure, and to create

a safe environment for mistakes and growth. By using these three strategies, I believe my
students will leave my classroom with greater academic knowledge, better social and emotional
states, and most importantly, a life-long love for learning.

References
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from
http://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entry.php?rec=469&view=quotes
Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the Brain in Mind (2nd Ed.) Alexandria, Virginia: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
King, Jr., M. (1947, February). The Purpose of Education. The Maroon Tiger, p. 10. Retrieved
October 21, 2015, from
http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_470200_000/
Tarleton State University. (2015). Handbook for Teacher Certification. Learner Centered
Schools for Texas: State Adopted Proficiencies for Teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.tarleton.edu/COEWEB/eps/TEP/documents/Handbook.pdf