The importance of education was emphasized best by Aristotle. He said “All who have meditated on the art of governing humankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.” I believe children truly are our futures, and knowledge is one of the most important assets our children can carry with them throughout their lifetimes.
I believe we all benefit from the education of our youth. The child I teach in my classroom today has talents and gifts that need to be nurtured, and by doing so the knowledge they acquire in my classroom will prepare my students to become productive members of society. He or she could become the doctor that saves your life in the future, the police officer keeping your neighborhood safe, or the scientist that finds a more efficient energy source. The possibilities are endless. Every child deserves an education. Education is the key to doorways to endless opportunities in life, without it so many doors will remain locked.
I believe education is imperative to becoming a productive member of society. I believe the most essential key to unlocking the doors of endless opportunity is the ability to read. If a child can learn to read, that child has opened a door to endless amounts of knowledge, and has access to learn anything. They will be able to be more productive in class because they will develop the skills they need to contribute their thoughts and ideas, and get their ideas across in a knowledgeable and coherent way. I believe a child should have every opportunity to learn anything and everything, and reading is the doorway for them to do so.
Every child learns differently. Some children are auditory learners, these students learn by through listening. Some students are visual learners who learn by using visual aids, pictures and books. Then there are those students who are kinesthetic learners, who learn by doing hands on activities. It is my goal as a teacher to keep my students engaged and motivated by incorporating different strategies into my teaching curriculum to accommodate each type of learner, such as including demonstrations, aesthetically pleasing materials, use of good organizational and language skills to paint mental pictures for students, having students read and repeat what they have learned in their own words, as well as having students participate in hands on activities including field trips.
Assessment is a necessary and valuable part of teaching. Assessment is necessary to evaluate if students are falling behind or excelling. However, not all students do well with tests and can do poorly if too much pressure is put on them to do well. It is my goal to develop a relationship with each of my students so that I might better understand how best to assess their development in my class. This way I can help my students achieve the goals that not only I have set for them, but the ones that they have set for themselves. It is my belief that when a child feels that they are doing well, they will want to continue to do well. However if a child feels they are feeling they are not doing well, they may get discouraged and fall behind. I want my students to feel like they are doing their best and continuously strive to do better.
Children spend a large portion of time in a classroom with their teachers. As a teacher, I feel it is my duty to be a role model to the students that I teach. My goal as a teacher is to instill a lifelong love of learning and achievement to each of my students. Children truly are our futures, and if I can educate my students, I can give them to power to achieve a better quality of life, create a better society for tomorrow, or the power to change the world. Then and only then will my job as a teacher will have been fulfilled.