19/06/03

FINAL FULL CIRCLE REFLECTION PAPER

When working with my students, others have commented on a few of my

characteristics that they enjoy seeing. As a part of the educational workforce 10 years from

now, I believe parents will see the same qualities and want to see their children taught

under them. One of the most immediately apparent is my patience. My ability to remain

firm and understanding with students, and allowing them to take the time they need is an

integral part of me as a teacher and as a person. Similar to this, is my empathy towards my

students as well as my dedication. I am able to understand a student’s point of view in

multiple situations and pay very close attention to their emotional state in case they need

any extra help that I might be able to offer them. My dedication towards their well being as

well as their education is something that is personally important to me and I think that it can

be seen when I teach. Determination is a major factor in my teaching style as a whole. I

believe parents will appreciate and hope for that for their children because I do not like

giving up. If a child is struggling with a concept or lesson, I will keep changing my approach

to their learning until we can find a way that best works for them to understand.

“Fair is not equal” is a saying I have come across more frequently both inside and out of

Orientation to Teaching, especially in recent years. In the context of modern student

diversity, I find that this is especially true. The learning diversity of students is growing every

day in that more students are coming from various backgrounds, or have been coded on an

IPP much sooner than they might have been. In terms of background, students are now

coming from all different parts of the world, each with differing levels of English literacy,

scholastic development, and social and economic backgrounds. This huge amount of
individuality guarantees that a fair playing field for students in a school will mean that for

the individual student, the playing field is not fair at all. It can put them ahead of the curve,

or more often than not at a significant disadvantage. It is the job of the teacher to adapt the

modern day classroom to make school more “fair” for each student individually.

Based on my experiences with the ED 2500 course, I think that my current advantages

as a teacher are my calm demeanor, my directness and willingness to try for my students.

We had previously discussed with guest speaker Ms. Seright that teachers can often be

overwhelmed or unable to adapt to such a wide variety of needs. My ability to remain calm

under pressure and willingness to learn and keep trying new things will be very helpful for

me. My seminar professor has also told me through his observations that the directness and

gravity that I bring to my teaching approach is very good at drawing my students’ attention. I

believe that this also helps to keep them motivated to learn as they work towards

understanding the concepts I communicate to them.

However, I do believe that there will always be areas I need to improve upon as an

educator. Some of the most significant qualities as a teacher that I still need to improve

currently are my ability to physically communicate and to be able to adapt to specific

situations. I have a tendency to shut off my facial expressions and body language when

stressed or nervous. As an teacher, this is detrimental as students will have a hard time

connecting with me and interpreting the meaning of my words to them. Working towards

being more “outwardly open” and ensuring to positively reassure my students’ successes are

things that I will continue well into my professional career. I am also highly aware that I have

not had very much personal experience interacting with students that have specific needs

whether educationally, mentally or emotionally. Continuing to volunteer and take every

opportunity to gain experience and learn from fellow educators as much as possible will

undoubtedly help in regards to these. I received an excellent recommendation from a

substitute teacher during my practicum to volunteer at special Olympics programs and other

groups of that nature to gain that much needed experience.

There were multiple significant pieces of information imparted during our seminars that

made me appreciate the role of a teacher. One of these included Rita Pierson’s TED Talk.

While I have always appreciated the importance of a teacher in a child’s life, I never truly

understood just how significant a teacher’s bond with their student can - and should - be.

Her emphasis on defining what you believe in for education as well as her passionate

personal belief that a teacher should be a champion for their students, allowed me to

reexamine what exactly about teaching that was so important to me. It also helped me to

quantify the sheer number of complexities and responsibilities teachers take on in their lives.

Another important piece of information that brought special awareness to me was the

immediate emphasis placed on the importance of building relationships on all levels as

teacher, and all of the tiny details a teacher is involved in that helps towards building those

relationships. As a former primary school student, I have a very clear memory of my

teachers being friendly and helpful, but often some of them lacking a strong connection

towards me, my fellow students and even sometimes their fellow teachers! The approach

towards teaching has changed significantly since then and observing the small habits of both

my seminar and practicum teachers such as greeting students at the door and moving

around a classroom while teaching, were some primary examples on how to build a bond

with students without ever needing to say a word.

Since going through this ED 2500 course, I know that I have grown a lot, and am a great

deal more confident as a person than when I started! I have been made much more aware

of the struggles teachers currently face, the joys and growing pains I am likely to experience,

and have gained a deeper understanding that teaching is so much more than giving students
information to memorize and skills to build. But ultimately, I know that I have barely begun

to scratch the surface, and I still have a great deal more growing left to do as both a person

and a teacher. I will continue to do so throughout my career and the rest of my life. In the

words of Michelangelo “I’m still learning”!