Saturday, February 4, 2012

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.                 

3 comments:

  1. I noticed the key word, "Positive," in your narrative and agree whole-heartedly on your points. We, as teachers, should model the positive behaviors we expect to see in the students, teaching by example (and using words when necessary). I have seen first-hand how kids thrive on positive discipline--being told what they are doing right as often as possible, rather than just what they are doing wrong. My own kids, who are now young adults,responded well to this. As a mother, I made a conscious effort to make sure I noticed the good behaviors in my kids and praised it. Sometimes it's easier to notice the blatantly "bad" behaviors and only respond to those. I think in a classroom setting this would be especially true because those negative behaviors tend to stand out noticeably. I would like to hear some practical ways you are planning to implement a "positive learning environment."

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  2. I agree with you about enabling our students with a strong work ethic. Creating students who are willing to go out and discover new knowledge is a daunting task at times. I think that by having a positive influence on our students, we will be preparing them for the future. I strongly agree with you about keeping kids accountable for their actions. I feel like children are incredibly influenced by what they see in movies and on TV.; So, sometimes when they make mistakes, it seems as if it is ok to them because they saw it in a movie or video game. I think that we as teachers need to instruct vital skills that separate fantasy from reality and hopefully guide our students in the right path of success.

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  3. As Monika said, we are definitely faced the challenge of overcoming the TV and movies. Youth's addition to media/technology is pervasive in our society. We do face a new challenge in the internet and video games that previous generations did not have to battle. YouTube broadcasts anything and everything, and is influencing young minds.

    Danette's statement "it is important for students to be accountable for their actions, and know why society deliberately transmits certain values and knowledge to them" is so true. So often movies, internet and video games become the babysitter. We have to the challenge of presenting alternative ideals and behaviors, and to somehow convince students that our way is better. One of the ways we can do this is by modeling these behaviors, and giving real-life examples of happiness and success.

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