Teachers are lighthouses

The purpose of a lighthouse is to guide a ship to shore. Think of a teacher as a lighthouse. Their purpose is to guide students in the right direction. Teachers guide their students in many different ways. They teach them right from wrong. They make sure they are learning the material. They ensure they are being treated equally. They create a safe, welcoming environment. They help them with outside influences that may be impacting their academic performance. The amount of ways teachers guide students is countless. And just like a ship, it is up to them to make it to the shore. Although they see they light, they might sometimes steer off into the wrong direction. Our jobs as teachers is to do everything in our power to help our students. We always hope it is enough so that our students can reach their full potential. We want our students to achieve their goals and most importantly be happy.

One of the most important things I learned about in this course was diversity in the classroom. I grew up in a very small town where almost all of the children were of the same ethnicity and background. This made it easy for my public school teachers. They never really had to change their teaching methods to adapt to different students. After this course, I now realize how many schools have foreign students. I am more aware of their struggle in our school systems. If I become a teacher in the future, I will make it high priority to ensure these students are getting a fair shot at an education.

At the beginning of this course, we learned some facts about the career of teaching. When I originally took this course I thought to myself, "I'm not going to be a teacher because they don't make enough money." After reading the first chapter in the book, I became more aware of the actual salary. I learned that although it is true teachers are underpaid and unappreciated, it is possible to make a decent living. The chapter stated that public school teachers make more money than private school teachers. The book also suggested to get a summer job that could possibly put you at salary of $75,000 per year. These facts gave me comfort about choosing teaching as a career. Every job is going to have its pros and cons. It is up to you to decide if teaching is something you really want to do for a living. I really enjoyed the assignment that made you ask yourself, "Why teach?" This really made me think about why I would want to pursue this career. Do I just think kids are cute and want summers off or do I really love the rewards of molding young minds.

Overall, this course taught me a lot about Education. The information I learned is going to benefit me whether I decide to be a teacher or not. It is helping me now with my toddler classroom. I am more aware of the different learning behaviors children have. This helps me better understand them and teach them more effectively. I have more patience by trying to figure out different things that work for each individual child. It was also very helpful to read my classmates blogs. Hearing their opinions made me more open minded. Sometimes I would reevaluate my own opinion and reconsider because they made valid points. Most of the time my classmates and I had very similar beliefs. Reading their supporting information helped me look at things from different viewpoints I hadn't considered before.

The Career of Teaching

Is bullying taken as seriously as it should be?

This week in EDU 100 we talked about social justice. One topic I believe deserves social justice in schools is bullying. Students who experience bullying whether it be verbal, physical, or on the internet face serious disruptions in their school-work. Children should go to school feeling safe. They should have the opportunity to focus on their schoolwork. They should not have to worry about dodging mean kids who are going to bother them. I do believe bullying is being taken more seriously nowadays due to the number of tragic incidents that have happened. Not only do they suffer academically, but many students result in self-harm or suicide from bullying. We talked about the zero tolerance policy for violence this week and I believe that policy should be implemented for bullying as well. Sometimes parents and teachers do not take minor incidents seriously, but they do not understand the tole it may be taking on the child. Bullying in an any shape or form should be unacceptable. This should be reminded and encouraged in all schools. There should be services and offices that students feel safe to go to for help. When I was in high school and was dealing with bullying, I wasn't even aware there was a specific office I could go to talk to someone. It should be continuously reminded that there is always somewhere to go for help. The bullies should face serious consequences if there behavior continues. If they just get a "slap on the wrist" they will never stop. In order to ensure every child has an equal opportunity in their education and success, we need to make sure we put a stop to bullying.