What’s My Why
When I was a little girl, I carted home old, discarded textbooks at the end of the year so that I could play school with my friends throughout the summer. I’ve always loved school and learning, but I became a teacher also to help people realize their dreams and to overcome obstacles along the path to success. I felt called, naturally, to teach while in college, and twenty-three years later I teach my two favorite subjects, English and psychology, and I go to work happy every day.
Deciding to become a teacher was the easy part, but choosing to stay in the profession, and in public schools specifically, required reflection. During my first year teacher, one student, Nella Garcia Urban, particularly impressed me. Today, Nella is a leader in education, serving as YES Prep’s Chief Program Officer. Nella writes in an article “Bold Commitment to Providing Rigorous Academic Access”
You can probably recall the teacher that spoke greatness into you and communicated that you could achieve more than you ever imagined for yourself. That …show more content…
If someone owned a computer, it certainly was not portable, and the Cold War was just begin to thaw out. Today, all of my students, one-hundred percent, own a smart-phone. Technology has changed the educational landscape, but while times have changed, people haven’t, not really. The technology must be embraced, this is true, and effectively utilizing technology is one of the qualities that a great educator must harness. When the Internet goes down, however, there are only people left in a classroom, so a high quality teacher must connect with his or her students by genuinely caring about them as people. Furthermore, a great educator must design and bring to life effective lessons that prepare students to be successful in life. This requires strategic, ongoing planning, so a teacher must be a reflective