3.Take your education seriously

What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches. ~Karl Menninger

Work on good habits (organization, punctuality, thoroughness)

Through my student teaching experience, I have learned that just because you become a teacher your learning does not stop. Education is always changing and it is important to make sure that all teachers are staying up to date with their information. This can be done be continuing to take classes, reading up on new material and by collaborating with other educators.

One way that I have done this is by making sure I work on good habits.. I have always been very punctual throughout my life whether it for something professional or casual. I have learned the importance of this habit while I was student teaching. In order to get to all of the goals that I have for the day, I need to run on a tight schedule. I try to make sure that I never run behind on anything. I have learned that even 5 minutes is crucial to learning. It was very surprising to me how much a child can learn in that short amount of time. Therefore, I always try to make sure that there are never any gaps in learning. It is also important with specials schedules to make sure that I am punctual. The specials teachers plan their activities around the amount of time that they have, so it is important to make sure that students are on time to everything. I always make sure that I am always wearing a watch wherever I go. I have gotten in the habit of putting it on in the morning so that I have it to refer to all day.

I also take a calendar book with me wherever I go. I can immediately write down information that I need and refer to it if I need to make an appointment. I also try to keep post-it notes handy so that I can write down any information that I need. At the end of each day, I look at my calendar book and sync it with the post it notes that I have on my desk. That way, I can always see what my schedule looks like so that I do not miss any important appointments. This allows me to stay organized and on top of my schedule.

Another good habit to practice is thoroughness. It is crucial to spend time reflecting and planning the day. I have especially learned how important that is during my student teaching experience. At the end and beginning of each day, I check over my lesson plans. I want to make sure that all of my learning goals were addressed throughout the day and that I know what direction I want to go for the next day’s lesson. Focusing on being thorough, organized, and punctual is going to help me become a better teacher and influential leader.

Form a study group

Forming study groups and having a support system is a beneficial way to facilitate learning. One group member can give their advice or expertise on a topic while the other groups members are able to learn from them. They can share their opinions and advice without feeling like they are being judged. I have been in many study groups over my years at Goshen College. I formed a study group for a math class that I was in. The other members and I would get together before a test and review the material. We would do practice problems on the board and work through the problems as if it were the test. When one of us did not know how to solve the problem, another person was right there to demonstrate the correct way of doing it. We were able to ask questions knowing that someone else had the answer. I have also been in a group where we would edit each others’ papers. That was a group where I definitely had to feel safe in the environment. Having someone else read what you wrote can be very intimidating and nerve racking. I needed to get over that fear and let others read what I wrote, even if there was a mistake.

I think being able to do that and communicate with each other was an importance skill that I needed to learn in order to be able to successfully collaborate with colleagues and faculty. It is important to work with others in the teaching field and to successfully communicate my ideas. During student teaching, I learned that all teachers help each other and share ideas. It was important for me to be able to hear opinions from my teacher so that I could grow as a professional. I collaborated with other faculty and parents daily through notes, emails, and phone calls. Being able to express my ideas and constructed criticism was definitely strengthened by being in a study group.

Maintain academic interest outside of subject area

During my semester of student teaching, I learned how important it is to maintain academic interest outside of my subject area. Elementary teachers have to teach many subjects and often these subjects are always changing. There is new curriculum introduced to schools, different strategies to teach, and modifications that are constantly needing to be made. Continuous knowledge in these areas is essential is being able to stay on-top of teaching, especially in the areas of science and social studies. I have been working on reading professional books by famous educators in order to increase my knowledge of a particular subject. I have been staying up-to-date on the current news by reading my local newspaper and watching the world news. I have also been trying to take classes that are not necessarily in my subject area but can be applied to my teaching. I have learned that language classes are important, especially with the growing diversity in this country. My current goal is to learn Spanish so that I am able to communicate effectively with Spanish speaking students and their parents. As a future teacher, I want to continue to take classes outside of teaching so that I can be an example to my students about the importance of continuing your education and staying knowledgeable across content areas.