Why Did You Decide To Become A Teacher

2. Why did you decide to become a teacher?

Both of my parents are teachers, so growing up there was one thing that I knew for sure: I was not going to follow in their footsteps. I had dreams of being a multitude of other things - a doctor, a producer, a public relations consultant, even, for a short time, the president of the United States. When I got to college, this “anything but a teacher” hope for my future led me to get a degree in communication, with the hopes of working in marketing or public relations. After graduating, I got a marketing job with an up-and-coming engineering firm, but it didn’t make me happy. I didn’t feel like I was doing anything of substance; I felt that, in the end, my work didn’t really have an impact. It took

Parent involvement is so much more than the few parent-teacher conferences throughout the year, so maintaining an open line of communication is essential. In the first few weeks of school, I will reach out to each student’s parent or guardian via telephone to share some positive feedback and invite them to come into the classroom if they are able. This lets the parent know that I am invested in their student and want them to succeed while allowing parents the chance to share any concerns they may have about the upcoming year and ask any questions they might have for me. It also establishes a positive relationship so if I need to reach out in the future with concerns about the student the parent is more receptive based on our previous relationship. I also have a class website that includes a weekly newsletter and class calendar that includes due dates for important projects and events to give parents access to information about what we are currently working on and what is coming up. The website also has links to outside resources for each content area, so parents can review information and strategies to be better equipped to support their student’s learning. Giving parents the tools to help their student empowers them to take an active role in their child’s education, which has a positive effect both in and out of the

However, I think evaluation of practice should be based on completion and effort, not correctness, since it is meant to be an opportunity for learning and growth. This method of grading communicates to students that it is okay to make mistakes during practice, that it is the time to try new approaches, ask questions, and get clarification on content that will help them moving forward. Performance evaluation, on the other hand, should be based on correctness and individual knowledge and will be done in a number of different ways. I believe traditional testing (i.e. multiple choice, short answer, etc.), although a very specific form of evaluation that is not the best for all students, still has a place in the classroom, particularly when it allows students to practice for required merit-based tests. In addition to this method, performance assessments will be used and will take the form of projects and presentations. This allows students to demonstrate learning in multiple ways and gives them an opportunity to apply their learning to realistic projects. These will be done both individually and as groups throughout the year, with students or groups having an opportunity to choose their method of presentation or the type of project they’d like to