Raise or Raze?

This is an ongoing thought and response. I have so much more than I want to add to this…

I hope to be a teacher that goes beyond what is expected of me as a teacher. I have worked with teachers who pride themselves on saying, “That’s beyond my pay grade!” for many different reasons. I don’t want to be that kind of teacher! Having that kind of attitude puts limits and restrictions on your thinking, your desire to change roles as a teacher, and your dedication to teach students to prepare for academic success.

I want to honor their voice, their unique personalities, while at the same time pushing them to learn and excel in writing. Self expression is important for students, but I want to be able to balance this with academic rigor. I think this balancing can be extended to other areas. I want to be a facilitator yet at the same time I want to teach my students wonderful things about literature. I’m sure that these are not mutually exclusive – I’m sure I can facilitate and they can learn a lot from my organization and activities.

I want to be an effective, skilled, organized teacher who knows how to effortlessly integrate reading and writing using the best pedagogy and methods. I think that if I prepare well enough in advance, and know my students’ abilities and level, I can combine this knowledge with best practices and engaging topics and materials to be great. I want to instill a sense of belonging and purpose in my students. I hope that I can present this sort of logic to my students – if they see how writing well is the key to success, and that I will present them with opportunities to explore their feelings by writing, in addition to teaching the more academic forms of writing, they will accept it.