I teach to make a difference. But what difference do I want to make in my students’ lives? Yes, I want my students to leave me as improved readers, writers and lovers of learning, but most importantly I want them to leave New Fairfield Middle School as better people. It’s easy to get caught up in standards and the alphabet soup of acronyms that lead to data. But when it comes down to it, our most important job is to help mold youngsters into men and women who understand how to collaborate, use their minds creatively, and think beyond the four walls of a classroom.
Having grown up in the town I teach in, I understand the bubble my students live in. My job is to expand their thinking past the borders of New Fairfield. It is my job to get my students to understand that the words they choose matter and have a powerful effect on others. Words are power. With this word power, each student has the choice to use their voice as a weapon to tear down or a tool to build up. I teach because I want my students to wield their powers responsibly, learning to treat others with respect regardless of appearance, popularity and common interests. There is a big world outside of New Fairfield. It is my job to open up my students’ eyes to different ways of thinking. This starts with being able to collaborate and take part in active discussions where disagreeing without being disagreeable is the norm.
I teach because I want my students to understand the value of a question. Students who learn to question unleash their curiosity. Questions open pathways to deeper thinking and reasoning. Teaching a student an answer leads to an endpoint. But, teach a student to question and the learning possibilities are endless. I want students to question what they read, the actions of others, why people say what they say. Students who learn to question turn into adults who are less likely to accept the status quo and search for ways to continually improve the world we live in.
I teach because I want students to leave me as leaders willing to speak and act for others and with others. I want my students to experience life thinking about how their actions influence the thoughts and actions of those they meet. Students need to be given ownership and voice, but, most importantly, students need opportunities to lead. As educators, we can’t be afraid to give up the wheel and let the students steer the ship. Students need to experience the ups and downs that come with leadership while being given the leeway to work through and learn from failures and missteps along the way.
I teach because I watched my mother and father affect the lives of thousands of students that entered through their classroom doors. Walking through public places with my parents, students, past and present, rushed up to greet them because they valued the relationship they had. They were my role models, and I want my students to have that adult role model who values interpersonal relationships and positive communication. Students need to be taught the tools to survive and communicate in the world. They need to be empowered with the confidence to go out in the world and contribute while understanding their responsibility to treat others equally no matter their station in life. In the end, I can teach students everything they need to know about reading and writing, but I hope it is the lessons that go beyond the standards that stick with my students the longest.
Well done!
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