Why Teach?

Why does one become an educator? We all know it is not for the pay…Whilst I was reading Letters to A Young Teacher by Jonathon Kozol, he wrote, “It has to do with the exhilaration that I get out of my day-to-day immersion in the lives of certain glowing resilient children who, no matter what the painful things they may experience at school or in their homes, are able somehow to retain their faith in the essential goodness of the grown-up world and to keep their little lights of hope alive.” I really agree with what Kozol wrote that no matter what children seem to be going through they always seem to have a sense of hope and faith in the adult world, while maintaining their honesty. It is important for us to remember the innocence of children, and understand there will be times that we might not know or understand what our students are going through in their personal lives. We should never assume that we know what are students are experiencing, we should be willing to invest the time and energy to learn about our students on a personal level. There are many reasons why someone might become an educator, but it is important that we remember children and “their lights of hope.” I imagine that we will face many challenges in the classroom, and we should never shy away from standing up for the rights of our students no matter the consequences. Knowing the many challenges that you might face in and outside of the classroom, why did you decide to become an educator?   

Hypocrisy

There’s a lot more hypocrisy than before. Racism has gone back underground. Richard Pryor

I agree with the idea that there is a lot more hypocrisy than before, and racism has gone underground. Richard Pryor was a comedian during the 1980s he was most famous for his use of the N-word. He argued that it gave him the right to “make fun of everyone, poor blacks and rich whites.” He had this idea that people could say what they wanted if that is how they felt. Hypocrisy is very prevalent in today’s society, whether it is the news or political parties, we constantly hear people lecture about moral values that they are lacking. There needs to be more honest discussions about topics that people disagree on and that make them uncomfortable in order to prevent hypocrisy and ignorance. People are so afraid to discuss issues that make others uncomfortable that they suppress their feelings. How are we to learn about others and accept each other’s differences if we are afraid to discuss the diversity that our country was founded on? Hypocrisy in a society that prides itself on liberty and justice for all will prevent the people living in that society from coexisting together. “Racism has gone underground.” Everyone is so worried about being political correct that we have taken our issues with others underground, where we harbor differences instead of embracing them. Hypocrisy is so easily acquired that we deny and forget that honesty will help us to embrace those things that we do not understand. Because we are afraid of the unknown; the unknown race, ethnicity, social-class, sexuality, and gender, we will never truly experience the beauty of diversity, and all the wonderful things we can learn from one another. Stop being hypocritical, and reflect on the things social issues that make you uncomfortable, and overcome these walls because the people waiting on the other side are remarkable.     

National Teacher of the Year

Danette Valdez has just been selected as The National Teacher of the Year for her work in the Albuquerque Public Schools. She has been employed with APS, as a government teacher, for the last five years, and is currently working on completing her masters. Ms. Valdez has accomplished many of her goals by creating one the first “We the People Honor Civics Competitive”at a local high school. She continually pushes her students to be effective agents for social change with their community, state, and nation. Her administration describes her as being a “sophisticated and knowledgeable teacher that knows what it takes to be a supportive educator in APS.”

“As a teacher in APS you’ll find your classroom to be diverse ethnically and culturally, and as an educator it is your job to provide your students with the knowledge and skills necessary to find their own voices.” Her goal for the last five-years has been to help students reflect on their constitutional rights as American citizens living in a democratic society, and help students to improve and develop their own minds by cultivating their own understandings of societal norms. Ms. Valdez argues that she has seen many inequalities and injustices occurring in her local school system, and that there are different levels of support given to schools and students based on their location within the city. Over the last five-years she has brought much awareness to the different attitudes toward the diversity of her students. She explained that ethnicity and social-class show the inequalities that a lot of her students experience on day to day bases. Through the diversity of her students and the honor civics program, she continues to enhance the quality of life here in New Mexico. Her students describe her as being “motivating and inspiring.” Ms. Valdez is grateful for even being nominated and considered for The National Teacher of the Year Award, and notes that the most rewarding aspect of her job is the diversity of her students. As one of her senior students put it, “She has shown us that we have a voice and choices outside of what is ‘Socially prescribed to us by society.’”

The Purpose of Teaching

In order to be an effective teacher you should be able to cultivate many characteristics by being internally motivated, flexible, creative, and hardworking, my purpose in being an educator is to help my students improve and develop their own minds to think for themselves by cultivating their own intellect. The goal that I will have for my students will be for them to learn from their experiences, and develop their own minds. Being an educator will allow for me to teach positive behaviors and knowledge so that students are able to be continual learners in society. In today’s society it is important for students to be accountable for their actions, and know why society deliberately transmits certain values and knowledge to them. It is should be okay for students to question things and develop their thoughts about why we do certain things in our society. It is important that teachers find qualities within themselves, reflect on their experiences and the possibility for growth because it will model positive characteristics for students. A classroom environment is quintessential to facilitating a place where students are able to experience positive learning. Having a positive learning environment for my students is important because the students must feel comfortable both physically and mentally, in order to improve and develop their own minds and intellect. It matters to me that my students are able to be continual learners throughout their lives, and arise their own values and experiences to expand their own knowledge about the way society works.                 

  

Attached is the "Teach For US" link by Teach for America. Teach for America is a national organization that is made up of recent college graduates teaching throughout the United States. I enjoyed navigating through this blog site because the blogs are by teachers in urban and rural public schools in many different regions across the United States. To the right there is a section called "Other Interesting Things" where you will be able to find links to other blogs. I especially enjoyed reading the blogs about the various things that students say. As you navigate through the site just click on the links and you find yourself reading blogs from other teachers, about many different things from all over the country. The “Browse Network” link, at the top of the page, allows you to specifically connect to blogs from teachers in other states. I found this especially interesting because of the ability to compare the blogs of New Mexico teachers to those of teachers in other states.

Currently, an elementary school teacher from New Mexico is the featured blog. The teacher’s blog is called “EminNM” where they discuss what it is like to be an educator in New Mexico. I found a post on this blog intriguing. The teacher discussed that they had sent out a parent survey, several times as they put it, “to get parent voices involved.” The teacher explained that they had only received three back after havening sent it out twice. As I read this particular blog, I found myself wondering if this something that I may encounter as an educator in New Mexico, and how I might overcome certain things like a lack of participation from parents in the classroom? Overall, there are many different blog sites on the internet and I found that I enjoy reading the blogs from teachers in New Mexico.             

Teach for Us

There is no definitive definition of teaching, but I believe there may be a fundamental purpose to teaching. When teaching you should be able to cultivate the intellect, whilst helping to develop knowledge. I believe that when you are educating or teaching an individual there should be an improvement in their own minds, where the individual is able to cultivate the intellect and build knowledge within them. It is not necessarily about what they learn, but the continual learning experience that you have shared with them. My ideas about teaching are formative thoughts shaped by my own experiences, values, and abilities, which have been influenced by my own education. Teaching may be a universal thought, but because I have been predisposed to a certain schooling system my thoughts about education may be contextual. I realize that there is a societal and generational experience that accompanies my thoughts about schooling and education. I know for no better reason, than to compare my educational experience that of an individual that lives in another country. When looking at the experiences and tutorials of students from other countries you realize that what you have learned and cultivated in school is sometimes much different than their own experiences. With that being said, I still feel that teaching has a fundamental purpose to cultivate the intellect and help develop knowledge. Whether you have gone to school in the United States or another country, what you are taught will be influenced by your experiences within your society. However, there should be a universal understanding that people learn, within their societies, and this helps to develop their own knowledge.     

“Philogging” (Philosophical blogging) is the first step in the constantly evolving process used to define and consider one’s own personal philosophy of education. How do you being to articulate your beliefs about your role in a classroom? In order to answer this question you must first be able to identify your beliefs as they pertain to your personal philosophies about education. I am certainly ready to develop my philosophy and have a better understanding of my collection of beliefs about education that have been influencing me up to this point in my life. Throughout the semester the challenge will be to begin to define and understand my role as an educator in the classroom. Having spent most of my life in the educational system, as a student, it has undoubtedly influenced my beliefs about education. This will be represented and reflected in my understanding of my role, and will hopefully help me to develop my own personal philosophy. However, in order for me to articulate my beliefs about my role in a classroom I must first understand my beliefs and those things that have influenced my opinions and thoughts about education and schooling. This is a process that will involve varying philosophies and will challenge any sort of misconceptions that have already influenced me both historically and socially. The learning process of articulating and expressing my personal philosophy of education will be both challenging and rewarding. I hope to have a better understanding and define my role as an educator, and develop my personal philosophy of education as the semester progresses.