The human mind amazes me. I think it is incredible how babies learn to crawl, how toddlers learn to speak, and how children learn... life. I often find myself underestimating children. Why do we do that? This is the PRIME time for them to learn. Lets give them the big guns. Give them the respect deserved for the amount of learning and living upon them. Present information to them in a way that is interesting and educational and let them take it head on. I will not put my students in a box...
... I will give my students respect.
Do you know what else amazes me? How different we all are. How unique we are and how much we change in this life. Whether scientifically correct or not, I do not believe there are unintelligent children. They have their whole lives ahead of them! How can we determine their limits now? Some students thrive in the regular school settings while others need something different. I am learning all I can about teaching to the individual. For instance Dyslexia... I am surprised this is not a category under the gifted and talented program. Dyslexic students have an extremely unique way of learning that is beyond most students who typically do well in school. They can manipulate information and solve problems like it is nobody's business. Reading and writing are obvious necessities in society so why can we not tap the incredible way they can solve problems to improve their reading and writing skills? Each student has something wonderful to contribute and I hope to address what is special in each of my students and continues to challenge them the way they learn not the way I teach. I will not generalize my teaching to the crowd...
...I will teach the individuals.
Daniel Goldman's studies in emotional intelligence have demonstrated how important emotional and social competence is in teaching children. The ability to delay gratification, maintain relationships, manage money, cooperate and contribute in groups are better predictors of success than basic IQ scores. This is my greatest pursuit in teaching. There is so much more in life than what is in our curriculum. If I am to picture the future, I want a future where Americas citizens are well rounded, accepting, moral, cooperative, growing, and passionate. I know I have no control over this but as a teacher I will pour in to my students all of the love, support, and guidance to shape them as socially competent individuals. I will not glaze over teaching life skills...
...I will prepare my students for the future.
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