I knew I wanted to become a teacher because I realized how much teachers influence students. You could be having a very bad day, but just one individual can completely change your viewpoint about it. Those teachers had such great influences on me, that I knew I wanted to influence others. I want to make a change in someone's life like my teachers did with me.
I teach because I want to make a difference in my student's life. I want to educate them about society and how the world works, as well as to educate them on how to deal with problems and learn to interact with others and work in a group successfully. Schools have a tremendous role in society. Schools have to prepare students to live in the real world by teaching them basic skills and how to work with others. These students will be the future of the world, so it is important that the schools they go to are well funded and have good teachers so that everyone can have an equal chance in this world. The way I plan on doing this is by teaching my students using a philosophy called progressivism. The book, Teachers, Schools, and Society, states that this philosophy is student centered and organizes school around real-world experiences, curiosity, and the concerns of students (Sadker, S., pp.166-167). This is in contrast to essentialism uses core courses and is very traditional; they use the back-to-basics to ensure a common culture among all Americans, (Sadker, S., pp.162-163). Growing up, my teachers used essentialism and a little bit of progressivism. I presume that I learned more with hands-on, real-life experiences, rather than sitting at a desk, being lectured to. Interacting with others helped me learn how others think as well as learning to work with others to come up with a solution. I am a visual/kinesthetic learner. I want the students to learn from each other, not only by the teacher. I want to empower students to become better people and contribute positive aspects to this society.
