Growth Statement
I have changed in many ways on my path to being an educator in my professional life. If it is one thing that my undergraduate years at Manhattan College have taught me, it is to be a truly great teacher; you must strive to be a lifelong learner. The most vibrant and treasurable resources we have as teachers aren’t text books or lesson plans, but the students in your classroom. They teach you more than any textbook ever could, each one unique and each one a precious treasure.
When I first started as an undergraduate student at Manhattan College, I wanted to be a teacher. I was inspired by the many teachers I had throughout grade school and in high school. Years later, I still have the same reasoning. Actually going out into classrooms, and teaching myself, I have found that teaching is far more than a career or profession. It is a craft. It is something you must dedicate yourself to if you want to do well and succeed. No good teacher has ever seen themselves as just a teacher. They are educators. They teach minds and reach hearts.
Coming to Manhattan College I knew would be very rewarding. I had high hopes that when I first visited Manhattan College that they had the right tools to accentuate all of my positive aspects and help me develop as a student, learner, and future teacher. I fully believe that my time here has given me everything I could have hoped for and more. All of my professors, classes, and experiences here at Manhattan College were insightful, memorable, and most importantly meaningful. My classes at Manhattan College prepared me with the knowledge and the strategies to teach. They gave me the core information of child psychology, classroom expectations, management, and crucial content subject matter. Having the opportunity to actually stand in front of a classroom and teach was the most valuable opportunity that Manhattan College has given me. It takes a great deal of courage to be able to stand up with confidence in yourself, creatively express information and have it so that it is attainable to others. To do lesson plans day in and day out is challenging and quality teaching is definitely not something you can do on the edge of your seat or on the fly. It takes prior planning and preparation. Most of all, it takes effort to learn your students and know what will get information across to them.
The more I taught throughout this semester, the more I wanted to teach, and to teach in different ways. With so many different approaches, techniques, and strategies for the classroom it is impossible to try them all. For me, the thought of this is exciting and motivating. Each day I went into the classroom as if it was a challenge. Just like on the lacrosse field, there are challenges waiting in your path, and it is your job to conquer them. These challenges can all get conquered with the right tools, preparation, and hard work.
The use of technology in the classroom was one thing that I greatly appreciated throughout my student teaching experience. Through the use of power point, You Tube, Google, i pods, and the vast amount of other technological advances in the classroom, a good educator must stay up to date with the learners’ desire for such technology as a tool in their classrooms.
Growing as an educator is never ever over, and this growth statement will continue to be revised, rewritten, and added to for a very, very long time. With the support I received at Manhattan College, and the knowledge I gained through my student teaching experiences, I am confident in myself as an educator that I can successfully make that impact in whatever community, and whatever classroom I find myself in.
When I first started as an undergraduate student at Manhattan College, I wanted to be a teacher. I was inspired by the many teachers I had throughout grade school and in high school. Years later, I still have the same reasoning. Actually going out into classrooms, and teaching myself, I have found that teaching is far more than a career or profession. It is a craft. It is something you must dedicate yourself to if you want to do well and succeed. No good teacher has ever seen themselves as just a teacher. They are educators. They teach minds and reach hearts.
Coming to Manhattan College I knew would be very rewarding. I had high hopes that when I first visited Manhattan College that they had the right tools to accentuate all of my positive aspects and help me develop as a student, learner, and future teacher. I fully believe that my time here has given me everything I could have hoped for and more. All of my professors, classes, and experiences here at Manhattan College were insightful, memorable, and most importantly meaningful. My classes at Manhattan College prepared me with the knowledge and the strategies to teach. They gave me the core information of child psychology, classroom expectations, management, and crucial content subject matter. Having the opportunity to actually stand in front of a classroom and teach was the most valuable opportunity that Manhattan College has given me. It takes a great deal of courage to be able to stand up with confidence in yourself, creatively express information and have it so that it is attainable to others. To do lesson plans day in and day out is challenging and quality teaching is definitely not something you can do on the edge of your seat or on the fly. It takes prior planning and preparation. Most of all, it takes effort to learn your students and know what will get information across to them.
The more I taught throughout this semester, the more I wanted to teach, and to teach in different ways. With so many different approaches, techniques, and strategies for the classroom it is impossible to try them all. For me, the thought of this is exciting and motivating. Each day I went into the classroom as if it was a challenge. Just like on the lacrosse field, there are challenges waiting in your path, and it is your job to conquer them. These challenges can all get conquered with the right tools, preparation, and hard work.
The use of technology in the classroom was one thing that I greatly appreciated throughout my student teaching experience. Through the use of power point, You Tube, Google, i pods, and the vast amount of other technological advances in the classroom, a good educator must stay up to date with the learners’ desire for such technology as a tool in their classrooms.
Growing as an educator is never ever over, and this growth statement will continue to be revised, rewritten, and added to for a very, very long time. With the support I received at Manhattan College, and the knowledge I gained through my student teaching experiences, I am confident in myself as an educator that I can successfully make that impact in whatever community, and whatever classroom I find myself in.