My Practice
My education as a student at the University of Victoria has prepared me well for becoming a teacher in the classroom. In particular, I feel as though the courses related to adolescent pyschology are of great importance. In essence, I will be working directly with vulnerable youth and having training in how to deal with many tricky situations is extremely beneficial.
As a future teacher, understanding a student’s strengths and weaknesses is fundamental in fostering a constructive learning environment. Furthermore, I need to be aware that each student is unique and I need to cater my teachings and teaching styles to their specific needs. In order to successfully achieve this in the classroom, I believe that I need to approach lessons with a large degree of flexibility. Although planning a lesson is imperative with regards to the flow of the class, I need to realize that there are useful times to stop a class in order to simplify/expand on a specific concept.
I have to recognize that I will not be the only adult in my students’ lives. Although I will treat the students as if they were my own children, I have to realize that, ultimately, the students’ parents have the primary role and say in how their children are raised. Thus, as such, parent engagement matters. I believe that student achievement improves when parents play an active role in their children’s education. Furthermore, having an involved parent is a key factor in the enhancement of a student’s well-being as they will be more likely to be motivated, have better behaviour and social skills, and continue their education after high school.
I feel as though the community plays a large role in students’ education. When a student leaves my classroom, I want to make sure that the information they are learning is applicable to the real world. Thus, I will actively seek out partners in the community to make learning as experiential as possible. Taking the students on a field trip or having guest speakers in the classroom will make learning all the more ‘real’. By fostering and taking advantage of these community relationships, I will be able to create an environment for students that is informative, but also enriched.