The Power to Choose

        This past week of class concerning discussions about why we become teachers and about the way teachers are being portrayed in the media has been a powerful thought provoking adventure for me. When I walked in to class on Monday to hear we were watching an older movie about teachers, I did not know what to think. But when we started watching the movie, “To Sir, With Love,” I was immediately intrigued by this teacher’s will to get through to his students. Then on Wednesday we talked about the big question of, “Why?” and watched how badly teachers were portrayed in “Won’t Back Down.” After thinking long and hard about everything I have seen and heard this week, I think we as people and future educators have the power to choose what kind of teachers we want to be. Some people who are pursuing degrees in education are doing it for the paycheck, and to have paid summer vacations. But then I think that there are people like me. I have chosen to pursue this path because I have the power to choose that I do not care about the paycheck, but I choose to want to care about making a difference in a student’s life. I personally come from a family background where no one I am related to is a teacher. I have been empowered by teachers of my past who have greatly impacted my life and now I want to take their place and empower our future generations. This is the kind of teacher I CHOOSE to be.

​While I have spent this week thinking about why I want to be a teacher, I have realized that one of the biggest parts of being a teacher is developing a relationship with each student in the class. This article, http://www.edudemic.com/how-to-create-powerful-student-teacher-relationships/, talks about how a teacher can create a positive and powerful relationship with their students. While as a teacher you can build a relationship through teaching the common core, it is also significant to focus on other aspects. In this article, suggestions are made on how to maintain each area of a powerful student and teacher relationship. The article says creating a safe environment and letting children give their own opinions on subject matter is important, however, it is also about creating a personal teaching relationship with each student. As the article states, I believe a vitally important part of being a teacher is showing each student encouragement and support because you may not know what kind of background a student comes from or what kind of self-esteem a student may have about themselves. Knowing each student personally and showing them you care about them not only as a student, but as a human being is a powerful way to create everlasting impact and connections with your students. You never know when you might change somebody’s life.