The End
How does somebody express how they feel when they have come to the end of a long and tireless journey? I imagine that the tendency is to look back on everything that has made the trip, and reflect on how it has changed their life. To go through and pin point the awe inspiring moments of spectacular success, and mull over the moments where everything seemed to fall apart. To recall the good, and rue the bad. Everything that I have strived to be has led me to this moment right now. It has formed the way that I look, act, think and feel. My journey has been a long roller coaster ride of many ups, downs, twists, and turns, but without it I would not be nearly the man that I am today.
Making the decision to go back to school will always be the best decision that I have ever made in my life. I was not quite sure what I wanted to do, but I knew that I could not keep doing what I was. I felt that I wanted to be in a position that offered me fulfillment. I also wanted a position where I could make a difference in someone's life, so being a teacher started to become what I knew I was, rather than just what I wanted to be. The journey to become that teacher is a much different story.
No matter how rough things had gotten, I continued to press on. I had to finish what I started, and it is that type of attitude that I plan to take with me into the classroom. I feel that it is important for our future to be able to develop the mindset that wont allow them to give up when they feel at their lowest. As a teacher I have the responsibility to look after the well being of every student in my class the best way that I know how. If I can teach them through my experiences how to be a better person than I am, then I believe that I will be successful in my career.
I also want to bring that attitude in to the class for my own self growth. I know now that being a teacher is a lot more than standing in front of a group of kids and trying to fill their brain with all the knowledge of our world. Effective instruction can only take place when a teacher is proactive in his/her growth. They need to be able to continue on in their profession even when the class doesn't seem to get it. When it feels that they are wrong, and there is no way to correct it, a professional educator needs to be able to suck it up and drive on, because those moments are going to happen, ready or not.
I have also learned that patience is going to be another key role in becoming a successful teacher. I remember a moment during my student teaching were that patience was put to the test. I thought to myself on many occasions, "Man! why are you not getting this? It is so simple." The student just stared at me with these eyes that just screamed, "Please don't give up on me I want this to work for me more than you want it to work for me, but I just can't see it." I would like to say that I did not give up on this student, and I believe strongly that I didn't, but the discussion got to the point where I had to move on. These thoughts always seem to linger with me. How can I get this kid to grasp it? Then all of a sudden one day it came to me. I sat down with her and tried a different approach. It was astonishing to see her eyes light up as if it were christmas morning, and she saw her brand new bicycle sitting under the tree next to half eaten pieces of cookies. It was amazing. This girl had received the knowledge that I wanted to give to her and she was more excited to use it then I was to give it. I then wondered, how would her's and my life be different if I did not have the patience enough to work with her?
I can not stress enough the amount of growth that I have undergone in the last three months. This group of 5th grade students has made me more happy than I could have ever felt possible before. I look back to when this all started, and I was a simple laborer with no apparent direction or drive. Then the one simple decision to go back to school has put me through these mind altering series of trials and tribulations that I can only associate as some of the hardest moments of my life. Moments that I can now say is worth it according to how I feel today. It has been a fight that I would do again and again given the fulfilling outcome that I have experienced, and now, the end brings on the new beginning.
Making the decision to go back to school will always be the best decision that I have ever made in my life. I was not quite sure what I wanted to do, but I knew that I could not keep doing what I was. I felt that I wanted to be in a position that offered me fulfillment. I also wanted a position where I could make a difference in someone's life, so being a teacher started to become what I knew I was, rather than just what I wanted to be. The journey to become that teacher is a much different story.
No matter how rough things had gotten, I continued to press on. I had to finish what I started, and it is that type of attitude that I plan to take with me into the classroom. I feel that it is important for our future to be able to develop the mindset that wont allow them to give up when they feel at their lowest. As a teacher I have the responsibility to look after the well being of every student in my class the best way that I know how. If I can teach them through my experiences how to be a better person than I am, then I believe that I will be successful in my career.
I also want to bring that attitude in to the class for my own self growth. I know now that being a teacher is a lot more than standing in front of a group of kids and trying to fill their brain with all the knowledge of our world. Effective instruction can only take place when a teacher is proactive in his/her growth. They need to be able to continue on in their profession even when the class doesn't seem to get it. When it feels that they are wrong, and there is no way to correct it, a professional educator needs to be able to suck it up and drive on, because those moments are going to happen, ready or not.
I have also learned that patience is going to be another key role in becoming a successful teacher. I remember a moment during my student teaching were that patience was put to the test. I thought to myself on many occasions, "Man! why are you not getting this? It is so simple." The student just stared at me with these eyes that just screamed, "Please don't give up on me I want this to work for me more than you want it to work for me, but I just can't see it." I would like to say that I did not give up on this student, and I believe strongly that I didn't, but the discussion got to the point where I had to move on. These thoughts always seem to linger with me. How can I get this kid to grasp it? Then all of a sudden one day it came to me. I sat down with her and tried a different approach. It was astonishing to see her eyes light up as if it were christmas morning, and she saw her brand new bicycle sitting under the tree next to half eaten pieces of cookies. It was amazing. This girl had received the knowledge that I wanted to give to her and she was more excited to use it then I was to give it. I then wondered, how would her's and my life be different if I did not have the patience enough to work with her?
I can not stress enough the amount of growth that I have undergone in the last three months. This group of 5th grade students has made me more happy than I could have ever felt possible before. I look back to when this all started, and I was a simple laborer with no apparent direction or drive. Then the one simple decision to go back to school has put me through these mind altering series of trials and tribulations that I can only associate as some of the hardest moments of my life. Moments that I can now say is worth it according to how I feel today. It has been a fight that I would do again and again given the fulfilling outcome that I have experienced, and now, the end brings on the new beginning.
