“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward
Where and how might I need to improve my practice/my thinking about my practice?
“To teach is to learn anew” (C. Chan). I have learned through my study of biology, chemistry, teaching and experience that life is inherently full of change. I cannot expect the same lesson, technique, assessment or words to work on every individual in my classroom. I also cannot expect that what I think now about teaching will be the same 10, 5 or even 1 year from now. Teaching is inherently about learning, and it helps to learn with a goal in mind. This is why we have schools: we try to teach our students to learn with a purpose. Once out of school though, it can be difficult to organize and motivate oneself to go through the learning process again. Planning can give one the momentum and direction needed to make real change occur.
To continue developing professionally, I have made a PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PLAN, which will be updated on an ongoing basis.
What are my strengths and how will I continue to nurture them?
I think the one of the best parts of teaching is bringing in some kind of passion and enthusiasm for life to your students. Some of the best teachers I know not only teach what they say, they also live by it: my high school history teacher brought in his own stories of travelling to Germany to visit the remnants of the concentration camps built in World War II. I remember how my history teacher came into class everyday genuinely excited to be with us and teach us something that he loved.
Although others have complimented me on my organizational skills and strong attention to detail in my work, I think my greatest strength is the desire I have to make learning relevant and fun for my students: it is enthusiasm for the profession. Students have a lot to bring to the table, and I hope to engage with their young minds not only in science but across subjects and beyond the traditional classroom setting.
To keep me and my students excited about school and engaged with the community, I have set some ambitious goals for myself on how I would like to be a part of the school community. Please check out my FUTURE PROJECTS for updates!