I want to be able to help children grow and blossom while on their educational journey.

I also want to
become a teacher because I know how important my teachers where for me. I know they played a very
important role in my life, and encouraged me to reach my full potential.

Why I Chose To Become A

Teacher
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Why I Chose to Become a Teacher

By Mack S. Tribble

My choice to become a teacher was not made lightly. This decision was a culmination of a

process of reflection about what I wanted to do with my life. I have chosen a career in education

because I believe that it is one of the most important functions performed in our culture. I believe

that teachers individually and collectively have the ability to not only change the world, but to

improve it. Within the process of teaching, I hope to find both personal and professional renewal. I

want to be a part of a noble profession with the hope of one day being counted among those in whom

future teachers find inspiration.

 Many of the great teachers that I have had throughout my

education have become my heroes and role models. I began to understand

in high school and college that great teachers have skills that I wanted to

learn. I want to follow their examples. I remember that great teachers

were good at explaining content, were patient yet firm with students, were

always fair, set high expectations, knew how to motivate, and used humor

appropriately. They were great communicators who had a command of

their subject matter content. This is the type of teacher that I intend to
become. However, I understand that my personal teaching style will evolve

as I draw on my own strengths, knowledge, skills, values, and experiences.

I want children to learn in a safe and comfortable environment so that their self-esteem will

be increased. A high self-esteem will enable them to strive for and accomplish any goals they set for

themselves. As a teacher, I will play a part in helping them to do that. I will have the privilege of

shaping future parents and productive members of society. For all of these reasons, I ask myself,

what better job could there be. My answer is none because teaching is more than a job. It is an

important contribution I can make to better our society, and I am excited about the opportunity to

do so.

During my undergraduate program at DePaul I chose classes that would help me in my

career as a teacher. These classes ranged from discipline (Methods of Discipline for Children), to

third-world culture (India), psychology for adults, children, and adolescents, along with topics that

are important to both educators and parents (Raising Boys to be Men of Character). During that

time I also spent a considerable amount of time observing classrooms, along with teaching 4th grade

Sunday school at my church. With the love I have for children, along with my education, and the

experience I have had in the classroom, I know that teaching is a career that I will be successful in.
 Why do I want to become a teacher? A teacher has the direct opportunity to make a

difference, to change the future. I have been told that I am an idealist. I want the best for

everyone. I will set high goals as a teacher and do my best to show each and every student that these

goals are within their reach. I will expect every one of my students to want to learn and more

importantly to understand. I want my students to fight over the seats in the front row as if they were

attending a concert, not elementary school. I want to make my students wonder; make them

question; make them think critically; make them write; make them read, read, read.

An excellent teacher is not just someone who explains. Not someone who just

demonstrates. An excellent teacher is someone who inspires. An excellent teacher goes the extra

mile. They can take any individual and make them believe, truly believe, that their hopes and

dreams are within their reach. An excellent teacher will not let a student walk away until every

question is fully explained and completely understood, no matter how long it may take. If the day

ends and the student still has not understood the lesson plan, an extraordinary teacher would

brainstorm. He or she would think, How can I explain this concept to the student so that he or she

can better understand it? I intend on being that type of teacher.

The chance to inspire another human being is not an opportunity its a challenge. There are

too many educators that havent accepted this challenge, and it needs to change. Students go to

school because they are forced to. Many times learning is not their top priority, but the teachers job

is to teach. Students are always learning. Unfortunately, it just may not be what the teacher is

teaching. Since this is the case, a teacher must not only know his or her content area, they must also

be prepared to teach other things. Things, such as character, morals, etc., which may prove to be

more valuable than knowledge itself. This is the reason I want to become a teacher. I want to

inspire the children who will represent the future of our great nation.
Doctors, lawyers, politicians, and engineers. How did they all get to
where they are today? No matter the position someone may hold in
society everyone has progressed to where they are in life because
they had a teacher, someone who taught them in the way they should
go.

ere are five effective ways to get your students excited about learning:

1. Encourage Students
Students look to teachers for approval and positive reinforcement, and are more likely to
be enthusiastic about learning if they feel their work is recognized and valued. You
should encourage open communication and free thinking with your students to make
them feel important. Be enthusiastic. Praise your students often. Recognize them for
their contributions. If your classroom is a friendly place where students feel heard and
respected, they will be more eager to learn. A good job or nice work can go a long
way.

2. Get Them Involved

One way to encourage students and teach them responsibility is to get them involved in
the classroom. Make participating fun by giving each student a job to do. Give students
the responsibility of tidying up or decorating the classroom. Assign a student to erase
the blackboard or pass out materials. If you are going over a reading in class, ask
students to take turns reading sections out loud. Make students work in groups and
 assign each a task or role. Giving students a sense of ownership allows them to feel
accomplished and encourages active participation in class.

3. Offer Incentives
Setting expectations and making reasonable demands encourages students to
participate, but sometimes students need an extra push in the right direction. Offering
students small incentives makes learning fun and motivates students to push
themselves. Incentives can range from small to large giving a special privilege to an
exemplary student, to a class pizza party if the average test score rises. Rewards give
students a sense of accomplishment and encourage them to work with a goal in mind.

4. Get Creative
Avoid monotony by changing around the structure of your class. Teach through games
and discussions instead of lectures, encourage students to debate and enrich the
subject matter with visual aids, like colorful charts, diagrams and videos. You can even
show a movie that effectively illustrates a topic or theme. Your physical classroom
should never be boring: use posters, models, student projects and seasonal themes to
decorate your classroom, and create a warm, stimulating environment.

5. Draw Connections to Real Life

When will I ever need this? This question, too often heard in the classroom, indicates
that a student is not engaged. If a student does not believe that what theyre learning is
important, they wont want to learn, so its important to demonstrate how the subject
relates to them. If youre teaching algebra, take some time to research how it is utilized
practically for example, in engineering and share your findings with your students.
Really amaze them by telling them that they may use it in their career. Showing them
that a subject is used everyday by real people gives it new importance. They may
never be excited about algebra but if they see how it applies to them, they may be
motivated to learn attentively.

An effective teacher loves to teach. The single most important quality that
every teacher should possess is a love and passion for teaching young people.
Unfortunately, there are teachers who do not love what they do. This single factor can
 destroy a teachers effectiveness quicker than anything else. Teachers who do not enjoy
their job cannot possibly be effective day in and day out. There are too many
discouraging factors associated with teaching that is difficult enough on a teacher who
absolutely loves what they do, much less on one who doesnt have the drive, passion, or
enthusiasm for it. On top of that, kids are smarter than what we give them credit for.
They will spot a fake sooner than anyone and thus destroys any credibility that the
teacher may have.
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An effective teacher demonstrates a caring attitude. Even teachers who love

their job can struggle in this area, not because they dont care, but because they get
caught up so much in the day to day routine of teaching that they can forget that their
students have lives outside of school. Getting to know a student on a personal level
takes a lot of time and dedication. There is also a line that no teacher wants to cross
where their relationship becomes too personal. Elite teachers know how to balance this
without crossing that line, and once a student believes the teacher truly cares for them,
then there is no limit to what that student can achieve.
An effective teacher can relate to his or her students. The best teachers work
hard to figure out how to relate to each of their students. Common interests can be hard
to find, but exceptional teachers will find a way to connect with their students even if they
have to fake it. For instance, you may have a student who is a Lego fanatic. You can
relate to that student if you do something as simple as ordering a Lego catalog and then
going through it and discussing it with that student. Even if you have no actual interest in
Legos, the student will think you do and thus, naturally create a connection.
An effective teacher is willing to think outside the box. There is no one set
cookie cutter way to teach. A cookie cutter approach would likely be boring for both
teachers and students. What makes teaching so exciting is that kids learn differently,
and we have to find and utilize different strategies and differentiated learning to reach
every student. What works for one student, will not work for every student. Teachers
have to be willing to be creative and adaptive in their lessons, thinking outside the box
 on a continual basis. If you try to teach every concept, in the same manner, there will be
students who miss out on key factors because they arent wired to learn that way.
An effective teacher is an excellent communicator. To be the best possible
teacher, you must be an effective communicator. However, in this area, you are not just
limited to being a skilled communicator to your students although that is a must. You
must also be a strong communicator with parents of your students as well as
your faculty/staff team within in your building. If you have a difficulty communicating with
any of these three groups, then you limit your overall effectiveness as a teacher.
An effective teacher is proactive rather than reactive. This can be one of
most difficult aspects for a teacher to conquer. Intense planning and organization can
ultimately make your job less difficult. Teachers who plan ahead, looking for aspects that
they might have issues with, and proactively looking for solutions to solve those
problems will have less stress on them, than those teachers who wait until a problem
arises and then tries to address it. Being proactive does not replace being adaptive. No
matter how well you plan, there will be surprises. However, being proactive can cut
down on these surprises tremendously, thus making you more effective overall.
An effective teacher strives to be better. A teacher who has grown complacent
in what they do is the most ineffective kind of teacher. Any teacher who is not looking for
new and better teaching strategies is not trying to be an effective teacher. No matter
how long you have taught, you should always want to grow as a teacher. Every year
there is new research, new technology, and new educational tools that could make you
a better teacher. Seek out professional development opportunities and try to apply
something new to your class every year.
An effective teacher uses a variety of media in their lessons. Like it or not we
are in the 21st century, and this generation of students was born in the digital age.
These students have been bombarded by technological advances, unlike any other
generation. They have embraced it, and if we as teachers do not, then we are falling
behind. This is not to say that we should eliminate textbooks and worksheets
completely, but effective teachers are not afraid to implement other forms of media
within their lessons.
An effective teacher challenges their students. The most effective teachers
are often the ones that many students think are the most difficult. This is because they
challenge their students and push them harder than the average teacher does. These
are the teachers who are often students least favorite teachers at the time, but then
later on in life they are the ones that we all remember and want to thank, because of
how well they prepared us for life after our time with them. Being an effective teacher
does not mean you are easy. It means that you challenge every one of your students
 and maximize your time with them so that they learn more than they ever thought they
could learn.
An effective teacher understands the content that they teach and knows
how to explain that content in a manner that their students understand. There are
teachers who do not know the content well enough to teach it effectively. There are
teachers who are truly experts on the content but struggle to explain it to their students
in a manner that they will understand it. The highly effective teacher both understands
the content and explains it on their students' level. This can be a difficult skill to
accomplish, but teachers with this dual ability maximize their effectiveness as a teacher.
The qualities examined above are the essential requirements for any effective teacher.
It is important to note that there are additional wonderful qualities that may not be
included in this list. The great thing about teachers is that they are not carbon copied.
There is more than one way to be effective as each effective teacher has their own
special formula that gives them that title. An effective teacher takes the abilities they
have been given and utilizes them to maximize student potential on a daily basis.