Make A Difference

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Make A Difference

I have always wanted to be an elementary school teacher ever since I was young. My grandmother was a third grade teacher, and after every school year she would give me her old books that she no longer used. I was so excited when she gave them to me. As soon as she handed them to me I would make my younger brother play school with me. From the first day she gave me her old school books, there was no doubt in my mind that I would become a teacher of education.

Education is defined as the lifelong process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and values through either formal or informal means. I believe that the purpose of education is to allow students to discover who they are through exploring what the future holds for them. Formal means of education should provide students with skills that will facilitate living and working in a dynamic world.

In my opinion, a variety of instructional options are necessary for teachers and students to be successful. There are many different approaches available in doing so, a few of them include: the behaviorism, essentialism, and progressivism philosophies.

Agreeing with the behaviorist point of view, I see myself using positive reinforcement with my students, when a task or behavior is achieved. Rewarding students can make a big difference in the student’s attitudes, even if it is just a little reward like a smiley face drawn on their paper or even a sticker. By doing these little things it will help encourage students to continue the good work and to carry on in this manner.

Behaviorism also deals with the big role that the environment plays in a student’s academic learning. Throughout my junior high and high school years, I had the meanes...

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...ly teaching students from different backgrounds, races, and interests. Nonetheless I have great confidence in myself, and the teachers here at Concord College, which will help me to achieve all of my goals and wishes to become an excellent teacher.

Entering my adulthood, after graduation, I would like to pursue a teaching position in a public school teaching any grade from kindergarten up to third grade. My academic goal is to further my education and receive my master’s degree in elementary education as soon as possible. I plan to move out of this area after receiving my degree to the south. Teaching is a dream that I have had all my life, motivated by family and teachers that I had in the past. Choosing the path of becoming a teacher will allow me to experience one of life’s greatest joys – making a difference in children’s lives!

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