Running head; TEACHING STATEMENT: EDUCATION AND THE PROFESSION 1

OF TEACHING

Teaching Statement: Education and The Profession of Teaching

Meaghan Braspenninx

Ferris State University

TEACHING STATEMENT: EDUCATION AND THE PROFESSION OF TEACHING 2

Abstract

This paper explores the purpose of education as well as the profession of teaching. In this paper I

will identify the reasons for education, the roles of teachers, students, the teaching environment,

an effective teacher, my reasons for wanting to become a teacher, as well the type of teacher I

would like to be, my classroom, and my teaching statement. This paper will also reflect and

present content that I have learned throughout this course, as well as including content from

outside sources.

Keywords: Teaching, Teacher, Education, and Educator

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Teaching Statement: Education and The Profession of Teaching

In education and the profession of teaching there are many factors. A big factor that we

focused on in this course was the purpose of education. The purpose of education has four main

reasons that support why education is important and they are civic duty, social skills, economic,

and intellectual. For civic duty it means that the purpose of education is for a civic duty, meaning

government. Becoming educated in school leads to individuals being prepared and

knowledgeable about the government leading to a healthy government. This will be reflected in

citizenship, their community service and how they volunteer and help. For social skills it means

that the purpose of education is for individuals to go to school and to develop social skills that

will aide them in functioning in society, having morals, and being able to have a society that is

well adjusted. For economic it means that the purpose of education is geared towards an

economic standpoint, which is individuals learn material based on an economic standpoint and

will aide in a stronger economy. For the last one, intellectual means that the purpose of education

is simply to educate the individuals so that they are knowledgeable. Having intelligence leads to

enlightenment. I personally think that all four of these are very important, but as a person who is

going into early childhood and elementary education I lean more towards socials skills because

when I will be teaching younger children I will be teaching them a lot of social skills, and

morals.

In order for teachers to be able to accomplish the purpose of education they must be able

to teach differentiated instruction, which is where the teacher teaches in various ways to

accommodate and reach every student because not all students learn the same way and the

teacher has to be able to teach for everyone. A teacher must also really know her students and the

material she is teaching. Doing the research and observing is a key factor for teachers because as
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a teacher they are always watching, and learning new things everyday. Teachers also must be

able to really think on their feet and have good open communication with their students, and be

able to understand that everyone has different beliefs and thats ok.

All teachers teach differently and usually teach to a certain type of philosophy. There are

four philosophy concepts, which are perennialism, essentialism, naturalism, and progressivism.

For perennialism the curriculum is very structured and it is classic learning, and classic values

that dont change. For essentialism the core curriculum may change, and the focus is more on the

sciences, and the vocational aspect of learning. For naturalism this focuses on helping students

not only intellectually and physically, but also socially and morally. This philosophy also focuses

on a childs curiosity and interests. For the last philosophy progressivism there is an emphasis on

how students think, problem solving, and group work. Some teachers might lean towards one

specific type of philosophy, while others are a mix of two or more philosophies. I personally am

a mixture between naturalism and essentialism, while still including the other philosophies. I

think it is important to have a mixture of them so that I as a teacher am well rounded and so my

students can be as well because each philosophy has important aspects that I think should be

included while teaching.

A good learning environment is very important when it comes to teaching. It is important

to have a good environment not only for the students, but for the teacher as well because both the

teacher and students need to feel comfortable. The goal for a classroom environment is for it to

provide optimal learning so students are learning to the best of their ability and can focus. The

environment has to be positive, a space that is calming and comfortable, their has to be respect,

and a good relationship between the teacher and the students. A student should feel as though

they can learn anything and can feel comfortable to express themselves and ask questions. In my
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classroom I want to have this type of environment because the environment is very important

and determines the type of learning that is taking place, and I want my students to be able to

learn and be as successful as they can be.

In order to be an effective teacher a teacher must do many things. All teachers in

Michigan are evaluated by the Michigan School Code, which means that a lesson plan,

standards-aligned content, and student engagement must be present for the teacher to be doing an

effective job. Teachers are evaluated to make sure that they are teaching effectively and doing

what they are supposed to be doing so that their students are learning like they should be. The

Danielson framework for teaching is also a popular evaluation tool used in Michigan and it

evaluates the students growth and achievement in the classroom, and shows if the teacher is

being effective. A journal I found titled Desirable characteristics defining to describe an

effective teacher talked a lot about what teachers must do to be an effective teacher and what

characteristics teachers need to have (Duta, Tomoaica, Panisoara, 2015). In this journal they

talked about a study that was conducted that studied the important characteristics. Duta,

Tomoaica, Panisoara, (2015) said Teacher training and professional development are considered

essential mechanisms for enhancing teachers content knowledge and teaching practices in order

to reach high standards (p. 1224). This meaning that these two factors play a huge role in

making teachers effective and helping them achieve success with their students. By doing these

two practices it helps the teachers better themselves.

Along with these evaluations that hold the teachers accountable for being effective and

what the journal stated, teachers must also do what they are supposed to do and hold their own

selves accountable by doing things like preparation and planning, classroom management,

instructional delivery, and professional responsibilities. Preparation and planning is a big step
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that teachers must do if they want to be effective. Some aspects that make up preparation and

planning are knowledge of the content, knowledge of resources, designing student assessments,

and more. These steps are a big part in being a prepared and effective teacher because it gets

them ready and able to teach effectively. Classroom management it also a big aspect that

determines if a teacher is effective because how a teacher can manage the environment of their

classroom, while also managing the students behaviors, and the procedures going on will really

play into if the students are learning and if the teaching is doing what they are supposed to be

doing. For more on classroom management I found a journal titled Classroom Management

Techniques(Scrivener, 2013). This journal focused on the right way to manage a classroom and

what will lead to managing the students as well. Scrivener (2013) stated, the way that you

manage students learning by organizing and controlling what happens in your language

classroom; the way that you consciously decide not to organize and control or the way that you

delegate or relinquish such control to the learners (p. 1). This meaning that the way you control

as a teacher affects the managing of the students, organizing, and controlling the right way is a

big part for classroom management and management of the students. Classroom management is

a big worry for teachers and Scrivener emphasized that the teacher needs to stay in control and

really have an organized classroom with engaged students for a successfully managed classroom.

For instructional delivery the main focus is for a teacher to be able to communicate effectively

with their students, and really engaging the students in learning. If the students are not engaged

in what is going on then they are not learning and they are not absorbing the material like they

should be, and its the teachers responsibility to make sure this is happening. The last one is

professional responsibilities, which is focused on a lot of self-reflecting, because as a teacher it is

very important to reflect on the good and the bad parts of the day because as a teacher there is
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always room for growth and improvement. This also focuses on being professional. A big key in

a teacher being effective is being professional. As a teacher you need to not only look

professional, but also act professional because as a teacher you are a role model and the parents

want good, positive influences for their children. I think all of these aspects will be a huge part of

being effective for when I become a teacher because in order to be a good teacher I need to be

able to do all of these things for ultimate success as a teacher and in my classroom.

Another Journal that really gave me a lot of good information to know and remember was

titled The relationship between the elementary teacher candidates teacher efficacy and their

attitudes towards the profession of teaching (Cayci, 2011). This journal was one that really

related to teacher efficacy and the profession of teaching, which is a big aspect in this course.

This also particularly suited me since I plan on being an elementary teacher. This journal was

focused on elementary teachers attitudes towards the profession of teaching, which is very

important. Having a certain attitude affects the students greatly. Cayci (2011) found that,

teachers who evaluate themselves as self-confident and self-sufficient are more effectively

organized (Alinder, 1994), teachers who evaluate themselves as self-sufficient are more eager to

find new approaches, methods and techniques in order to fulfill the students needs, (Stein and

Wang, 1988), teachers who evaluate themselves as self-sufficient are in positive attitudes towards

correcting the students' mistakes (Ashton and Webb, 1986), and teachers who have enough

perception about efficacy use effective approaches in classroom management and in suppressing

negative behaviors (Emer and Hickman, 1991) This showed to me that different attitudes and

the way that teachers evaluate themselves plays a huge role in how they are as a teacher and in

the profession of teaching. It also shows that all teachers are different and do things differently

giving certain teachers certain strengths.

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When it came to my extemporaneous paper I focused on my extrinsic and intrinsic factors

that went into why I want to become a teacher. My main reasons being the influence from my

mom since she was an early childhood teacher and my desire to work with children and to make

a big, positive difference in their lives. This goes along with how I want to be as a teacher and

how I want my classroom to look. As a teacher I really want to be that positive, happy, and

caring teacher that is always smiling and really gives attention to every student so they feel

special, and so that they believe in themselves because they know I believe in them. I want as a

teacher to be effective and allow my students the opportunities to learn as much as they can,

while they are in my classroom and to grow as a person intellectually, socially, physically, and

emotionally. Since I would like to teach kindergarten or first grade I want to have a classroom

that has a positive environment for every student. I want my classroom to be bright, yet calming

and full of learning supplies and posters that help the children learn. I want my classroom to be a

place where my students want to be, are respected, and feel safe. For my teaching statement I

said in one statement When I become a teacher my goal as an educator will be to provide a

classroom environment that is safe, and engaging, yet challenging, while providing my students

with the opportunity to achieve their full potential. I think this statement of mine explains

perfectly how I want my classroom environment to be and what I want accomplished as an

educator.
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References

Cayci, B. (2011). The relationship between the elementary teacher candidates' teacher efficacy

and their attidutes towards the profession of teaching. General One File, 1-17. Retrieved

from Ferris State University Library.

Duta, N., Tomoacia, E., & Panisoara, G. (2015). Desirable characteristics defining to describe an

effective teacher. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1223-1229. Retrieved from

Ferris State University Library.

Scrivener, J. (2013, May 9). Classroom Management Techniques. ELT Journal. Retrieved from

Ferris State University Library.