"A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.

" Horace Mann As a teacher, I find it essential to inspire students. If they do not see the value of doing something, they will not do it whole-heartily. In addition, without the value, they will not be able to see how the concept or ideas relate to their lives. One way to help inspire students is to utilize their interests in the lessons. y incorporating their interests they will not only become interested in the tas!s, but will be more li!ely to remember them. In order for me to get to !now the interests of the students it is imperative to get to !now them on a personal level. "his, I believe, is most important. #etting to !now the students means not only getting to !now about their interests, but their home lives. $tudents attend class with issues on their mind from outside of the classroom. y understanding what issues they are facing, I can do my best to get them over those hurdles, so school can become their main priority. %hile I obviously have a passion for &nglish and I thin! it is incredibly important, the needs of the students should come first in the classroom. At the end of the day, my students are humans. "hey thin!, they feel, they hurt, and they endure pain. %hen issues are bothering them, class becomes less important. In addition, in order for my students to be successful outside of the classroom, these e'ternal factors need to be dealt with. Other than tal!ing to my students and pulling one aside if I find it necessary, a great way to get to !now students is through (ournaling. "his is something I plan on incorporating in my classroom. "his (ournal gives the students not only the opportunity to e'press themselves but also gives them practice writing. )ot only do I thin! it is important to have a good relationship with my students, but it is also important they have a good relationship with others. *espect is something very important for me to instill in my students. I understand it is not practical for all of my students to become best friends. +owever, it is practical and e'pected they all have a mutual respect for one another. A classroom can sometimes be a vulnerable place. $ome students, by reading and writing, are facing their fears, which can be scary. +owever, by having a good class community, things li!e reading in public can easily become strengths with the support of classmates. ,urthermore, respect is a s!ill the students will need to utilize for the rest of their lives in order to be a positive person and citizen. Obviously, the goal of an &nglish course is to learn literature, grammar, writing styles, etc. +owever, I want more from my students. I e'pect my students, through literature, to learn about themselves, to thin! deeper. It is one thing to read eowulf and understand it. It is another to read eowulf, understand it, thin! what you would do in those situations, give e'planations for the characters actions, and to criti-ue the literature. I want my students to feel free to e'perience different writing styles, not to mimic what is the norm. In my classroom I want my students to be comfortable and to spea! their mind. I also want what I teach my students not only

to be classroom based, but I want to teach my students concepts that can be transferred to s!ills in other classes and real-life situations. "o accomplish my goals my students must be engaged in the lessons. &very student learns differently. $ome students need to see the information, some learn with their eyes, some their hands, and some may need a combination of two of these. $ince every student is different, I believe it is important to use a variety of learning styles. &ven though I do not en(oy lectures, some students may, so I plan on lecturing sometimes. In addition, some students li!e individual wor! and others li!e group wor!, so I will try my best to integrate the aforementioned learning styles in my classroom. I will try to !eep my students engaged at all times. &ven if it means in the middle of the class having a three minute stretch, I will do whatever is necessary. .eeping the students engaged, as mentioned before, means I have to find out what interests them and integrate their interests in my lesson plans. I want my students to grow and reach their ma'imum potential and become the best student/learner they can possibly be. "o ma!e sure my students comprehend the information, I plan on giving daily 0tests1. "hese tests may (ust be me as!ing -uestions and having them give a thumb up or thumb down, group tests, individual tests, or pro(ects. "hese 0tests1 are not given necessarily to give them a grade, but to ma!e sure the information I am conveying is being understood. I am often told our e'periences shape who we are. %hile I was a student in the 2hiladelphia area, I came across many of my peers who simply did not !now their worth. 3any of my peers were content with getting a (ob at a local store or going to 4ommunity 4ollege. %hile there is nothing wrong with that if that was their dream, for many, their dreams e'ceeded reality. 3any yearned to go to college, to be a lawyer or a doctor. +owever, this dream, in their mind, was not attainable for various reasons. 3any were worried about money or had responsibilities at home. In addition, many of my friends did not have a positive influence in their lives to tell them they could do more or as!ing them loo! at different options. I plan on as!ing my students to e'amine various options and help them attain their goals. I plan on being the positive influence in the lives of my students. In conclusion, I believe my (ob as a teacher is to help shape the minds of students, inspire them, and help them live out their dreams. As mentioned previously, I plan on doing this by, 567 ta!ing care of their needs 587 teaching in numerous ways, and 597 in-uiring about their interests. 0If a child can:t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.1 Ignacio &strada