Stephanie Kornegay

Dr. Robin Pate

EDU 320 7:45a
September 8, 2014
Vision Statement
The reason I want to be a teacher lies in wanting to help others, especially young people.
When I first started out college I wanted to help others by something more important, like a
nurse or occupational therapist but I soon realized that my strengths supported teaching and
coaching and that its just as important as any other job. My vision is to help students learn but
also open their minds to be more creative and to show equality so that students will learn to be
accepting of people who are different than them and work together. Its one thing to learn the
material but students need to develop creativity as well. I hope to become someone my students
and athletes respect and look up to.
A common response I receive when telling others that I want to coach and teach is that
they could never do it because of a lack of patience, so I think that patience is definitely a wellknown trait that an educator should have. A teacher should also be adaptable and willing to
change lesson plans if needed. They should also be empathetic. A teacher must put themselves
in the students shoes and see it from their perspective. This approach is often transcending in
how to help others succeed (Catapult Learning). They should also be creative and engaging,
which will not only help students learn but to look forward to class every day. Teachers should
be accountable by holding themselves to the same standards as they expect from their students.

Teachers should have a set of skills in order to be successful and those include creating lesson
plans but also carrying them out in a way that students will not just remember but learn. They
should also be prompt and professional at all times. With technology expanding in our
generation, teachers should also be prepared to learn new technology and programs that their
students may be using in the years to come. I think that teachers should also always be on their
toes and be smart about safety procedures as well. Students safety should be our number one
priority at all times.
In a student-centered class, students dont depend on their teacher all the time, waiting
for instructions, words of approval, correction, advice, or praise. They dont ignore each other,
but look at each other and communicate with each other. They value each others contributions;
they cooperate, learn from each other, and help each other. When in difficulty or in doubt, they
do ask the teacher for help or advice, but only after they have tried to solve the problem among
themselves. The emphasis is on working together, in pairs, in groups, and as a whole class.
(Jones). This explains why some of what we teach sticks with students and other information
does not. Why do some ideas have spread and staying power when others dont? Educators
frame this question differently and ask, why do my students remember some of what I teach but
not all of what I teach? What we really should be asking is, why do my students remember some
of what they learn but not all of what they learn? (Catapult Learning). A classroom should be
full of active learning and quality feedback. As other students interact, they challenge each
others assumptions and bring different data to the argument. This pushes each student to a
higher-level synthesis than if they worked alone (Kagan). This asks of you to require Higher
Order Thinking Skills from your students and it is more successful if your students know what
they are supposed to be learning beforehand. Since I will be teaching secondary education, I will

also be dealing with problem students and the shortcomings of family and social problems. I
want to be someone that my students can trust and get to know what their lives are like outside of
the classroom so that I can better understand them.
My number one strength is developer, which means I love to see others succeed, am
happy with small progress, and am very encouraging. This top strength, along with my other
four, can all be used to help me be successful in the classroom. Throughout college I hope to
keep building up my strengths to become a better person and teacher. I hope to challenge them
and be someone they can look up to.

Works Cited:
How the Student Centered Classroom Can Change Learning - Catapult Learning
(Catapult Learning)
http://www.catapultlearning.com/student-centered-classroom-can-change-learning/

Jones, Leo. The Student- Centered Classroom, 2007.

http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/booklets/Jones-Student-Centered.pdf

Kagan, Spencer, and Miguel Kagan. Kagan Cooperative Learning. Moorabbin, Vic.:
Hawker Brownlow Education, 2009. Print.