Someday, it will be my turn. Someday, I will be able to “pay it forward.” I will pass on knowledge that was passed on to me. I will make a difference in someone’s life, just like some had on mine. I will be that person that others look to for advice. As a teacher, I will pay forward the knowledge, advice, and change that was paid to me.
Performance
To prepare myself for the world of teaching, I have immersed myself in the different opportunities UNI has made available to me. I can credit one program in particular, the Peer Teaching Assistant program, with accelerating my growth as a student and pre-service teacher. By being a part of the Peer Teaching Assistant program, I have strengthened skills that are essential to teachers, including being able to develop professional relationships, collaborate with other mentors, and develop and deliver intelligently designed lesson plans aligned to course learning goals.
Many schools are now dedicating several days each month to professional learning communities and professional development. By learning the skills of developing professional relationships and collaborating with other mentors in the workplace, I am preparing myself for the future. From my experience as a teaching assistant, I now have an understanding of how much time and effort needs to be dedicated to developing professional relationships. I have also learned how to collaborate with a community of mentors. I found that this community served as a support system that provided each assistant with the feedback and praise that is necessary in this position.
My exposure to this yearlong college course has provided me with many opportunities to present lessons in front of the classroom. One lesson in particular focused on how to correctly incorporate the citation format APA in research papers. For this lesson, I worked jointly with two other teaching assistants to find examples of sources, and I received assistance from the professor when it came to assuring that the citations were correct. I understand that learning about APA might not be the most exciting of things, so I brainstormed ways to keep students motivated and engaged. I came to the conclusion that blending different teaching techniques and activities could be just what was needed. On lesson day, I was able to keep the students as active as possible by having an interactive discussion with the students, lecturing about different APA aspects, allowing for individual work and group work, and then repeating this process several times throughout the period. I found that in the end, students had a much better concept of how to incorporate APA format into their papers.
Many schools are now dedicating several days each month to professional learning communities and professional development. By learning the skills of developing professional relationships and collaborating with other mentors in the workplace, I am preparing myself for the future. From my experience as a teaching assistant, I now have an understanding of how much time and effort needs to be dedicated to developing professional relationships. I have also learned how to collaborate with a community of mentors. I found that this community served as a support system that provided each assistant with the feedback and praise that is necessary in this position.
My exposure to this yearlong college course has provided me with many opportunities to present lessons in front of the classroom. One lesson in particular focused on how to correctly incorporate the citation format APA in research papers. For this lesson, I worked jointly with two other teaching assistants to find examples of sources, and I received assistance from the professor when it came to assuring that the citations were correct. I understand that learning about APA might not be the most exciting of things, so I brainstormed ways to keep students motivated and engaged. I came to the conclusion that blending different teaching techniques and activities could be just what was needed. On lesson day, I was able to keep the students as active as possible by having an interactive discussion with the students, lecturing about different APA aspects, allowing for individual work and group work, and then repeating this process several times throughout the period. I found that in the end, students had a much better concept of how to incorporate APA format into their papers.
Essential Knowledge
The University of Northern Iowa is known for creating innovative teachers. As a senior in high school, I understood that I wanted to be one of these respected teachers. Through my years at the University, I believe I have acquired the knowledge necessary to be a respected, scholarly teacher. Numerous and varied classes have provided me with the puzzle pieces I need to develop a classroom that allows for deep understanding and active participation among all students.
Through the course Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in Classrooms, I learned proper ways of managing diversity within the classroom, as well as learned how to overcome different behavior challenges that may arise. By handling these challenges and respectively addressing diversity within the classroom, students will understand that I am supplying the support and discipline needed to be successful within the classroom.
Technology and Programming for Secondary Math Teachers expanded my understanding of technology. With ever-changing technology, this course was very refreshing and gave me an idea of just how much classroom technology is available. By implementing these different forms efficiently within the classroom, students will be able to draw more meaningful conclusions from different problems that arise. For example, if the goal of the lesson is to identify relationships of coordinates when reflecting them over the x-axis, it would be much easier for students to use a tool like Geogebra that helps students accurately see these reflections rather than doing them by paper and pencil. Along with learning how to implement technology in the classroom, I’ve learned how to create interactive lessons that align with core standards using the TI-Nspire calculator and the computer application Geogebra.
Although I see these classes as providing big pieces to my puzzle, there are many more pieces that the University has helped me create. All of these pieces together develop an image of what my classroom will look like on a daily basis.
Through the course Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in Classrooms, I learned proper ways of managing diversity within the classroom, as well as learned how to overcome different behavior challenges that may arise. By handling these challenges and respectively addressing diversity within the classroom, students will understand that I am supplying the support and discipline needed to be successful within the classroom.
Technology and Programming for Secondary Math Teachers expanded my understanding of technology. With ever-changing technology, this course was very refreshing and gave me an idea of just how much classroom technology is available. By implementing these different forms efficiently within the classroom, students will be able to draw more meaningful conclusions from different problems that arise. For example, if the goal of the lesson is to identify relationships of coordinates when reflecting them over the x-axis, it would be much easier for students to use a tool like Geogebra that helps students accurately see these reflections rather than doing them by paper and pencil. Along with learning how to implement technology in the classroom, I’ve learned how to create interactive lessons that align with core standards using the TI-Nspire calculator and the computer application Geogebra.
Although I see these classes as providing big pieces to my puzzle, there are many more pieces that the University has helped me create. All of these pieces together develop an image of what my classroom will look like on a daily basis.
Dispositions
During my time on campus, a UNI secretary, a Cedar Falls High School employee, a Saint Patrick School athletic director, and others have approached me about my father, who taught in Cedar Falls for eight years. In their own way, each expressed how great of a teacher and coach he was or wanted to pass on a message of gratitude. My father left an impression on people that has lasted over sixteen years. This is why I aspire to be a teacher—to positively impact people’s lives. I want students to see me as a positive motivator who truly cares about them succeeding. I enthusiastically anticipate the day in which I can pay forward the knowledge I have earned at this University, the advice I have been given from teachers and professors, and that change that was paid to me.
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