“What do you want to be when you grow up?  I think I want to be a teacher.  Why don't you choose a noble profession, like a doctor?  Well, where would doctors be if there were no teachers?”

     I heard this conversation between a child and parent on a television commercial during my sophomore year of college.  This was a time when I had already declared that I wanted to be an elementary education major, but I still wasn't completely sure that teaching was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  However, after hearing this commercial on television, I realized that there was nothing I wanted more than to become a teacher.  That strong desire and passion is still with me today, as I prepare to embark on a career in  public school.

    Like all students, many teachers throughout the years have influenced me.  All of which have had an impact on the person that I am today, as well as the teacher I aspire to be.  “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires” William A. Ward.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them.  Fortunately, they have also given me enough knowledge and experience to create my own personal view of myself as a teacher.

     I often consider myself to be an authoritative teacher in the classroom.  I will push my children to succeed but not forget the main focus of my job as a teacher.  I will leave room for self exploration and provide a safe and welcoming learning environment.  I hope my children will be comfortable in my classroom to express their own opinions and not hesitate to challenge mine.  I will provide a supportive atmosphere by always being available to assist a student in need, or provide a student with an array of resources in order to complete an assignment.  The aspect of teaching that I look most forward to is the look on a child's face when he/she is able to complete a task all on his/her own.  For a child, there is nothing better than proving to the teacher, and himself, that he/she can perform a certain function.

     As a teacher, I also must remember to be patient with my students and invite students in a vast array of strategies for all of my students.  It is very important for a teacher to recognize the different learning styles of all of the students in a classroom.  This is where a teacher must illustrate that he/she can cater to each individual student and their learning style.  Unless you are expressing information and knowledge to a child in a way they can understand, you are wasting your breath and valuable learning time.  Diversity in a teaching portfolio is very important, especially in a beginning teacher.  It is also important that a teachers portfolio expands with experience.  Everyday is a learning experience for not on the children in the classroom, but also the teacher.  No student in a classroom knows everything, and neither does the teacher.  As the students learn new and valuable information from the teacher, they also pass on information and experiences as teachers themselves.

    The power of a teacher is often overlooked.   Every child that is educated in a classroom will go ahead in life and educate thousands more, based on what they learned from their teachers.  “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops” Henry Adams.  A teacher must always remember, they are not just educated the children sitting in their classroom, but ultimately educating the world and the future.