Thursday, January 12, 2012
My Current Identity
I would like to use this space to define who we are, in the grand scheme of things. How is it that you define yourself? How do you define your character as both a human and a teacher? We will revisit this "identity" at the end of your student teaching experience...The due date will be a week from Friday (February 10th).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I would define myself as someone that likes to be on the go and social. I am someone that gets bored easily and likes to be stimulated. This is perfect right now for my life style, because when I'm not at home with my husband in Zionsville I'm traveling to Purdue for class or to Fowler to visit my family, doing homework, working on finding a job, preparing for student teaching, and finally working on finding a house. My current lifestyle is too busy even for me, but hopefully things will slow down soon. I am going to be teaching at Zionsville High School which is a big relief for me since that is where I currently live.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I have really "found" myself as a teacher yet. I don't feel that I have had enough practice in the classroom to know exactly how I am going to be. I know how I would like to be and anticipate being in the classroom though. I am a reserved person until I get to know people. I know that I will open up to my students as I get to know them better. I also foresee myself being a somewhat strict teacher. I don't want my students to walk all over me or think since I'm young that I am their friend. It is easy for me to be strict as I am the second oldest of six children, so I am used to being in charge. I don't want to be such a strict teacher that my students don't enjoy my classroom, but strict enough that when I ask them to stop they know that I mean business. I do want my students to like me, and hope that we can have fun in the classroom. As I do like to be busy so I think that I will have my students do a lot of activities during the day rather than just doing one thing that way they don't get bored and I don't get bored.
This is a general description of myself, and how I see myself right now as teacher. I know that how I see myself as a teacher might change once I get into the classroom, but I am excited to see how I grow and change throughout the student teaching process.
When it comes to describing myself as a person outside the classroom versus or in parallel with myself as a teacher in the classroom, I can confidently say they are very similar in reference to my personality. As a person outside of the classroom I consider myself to be an extroverted, spontaneous, and passionate person. I am very carefree and have a very go with the flow mentality. These types of characteristics are ones that, I feel, are necessary in the classroom (as well as in life). I carry a strong compassion for my friendships and family and this reigns true for the students whose lives I will have the opportunity to influence.
ReplyDeleteAs far as who I am, in specifics, as a teacher, it’s hard to really pinpoint. I know who I am as a person and what kind of style I want to incorporate in my classroom, but I also know that this profession is a continual learning process so my style is going to continue to change and be reevaluated. I expect to work on creating a safe, comfortable and respectful environment in my classroom and I think (and hope) if this is established and appreciated by students, a healthy and beneficial learning environment will be on track.
Currently, I am in an 8th grade class at Tuttle Middle School in Crawfordsville. I was just placed within the past week, so I am still establishing myself in the classroom. This is my first time being in a middle school environment, so I am really looking forward to this experience. During my college career in education, my block classes have included a 2nd grade class in Monon, IN; New Delhi, India; and an 11th grade class at Harrison High School. So far, it seems my mentor teacher and I have a very similar teaching style and mentality and I am looking forward to a great learning experience these upcoming weeks.
I think that who I am outside of the classroom is very similar to who I am inside the classroom. People say that you have/ need to have a certain act or attitude when you are in the classroom that differs from your true self. I do not believe this. I feel as though I want to be as real with my students as possible. I want them to know the real me so we can build a strong relationship with one another. I would consider myself to be a very care free, loving, passionate person. I always have a simle on my face and live with no regrets. I am also very goal oriented and i strive to be the best I can be. I think these are all very important characteristics to have when working in the classroom. I put my all in everything that I do and for my student it is important for them to have my complete undivided attention and do my best to educate them to their highest potential.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I'm not sure if I can answer exactly who I am as a teacher. I really don't know yet. I think it is something that I will determine once I have had more expereince in the classroom and have delveoped my own teaching strategies. I can however tell you the teacher that I hope to be. I have always seen myself as "that" teacher. The one that develops strong relationships with their students, the one that all the students enjoy, the one who students enjoy their class. I'm not saying that I will be the "favorite" teacher, but I do want my students to enjoy learning in my class. I am very excited to start wokring more with my students. Since I was just placed a week ago I haven't been able to spend much time yet in the classroom. However I have meet all of my classes and I think that my students and I will get along very well. Being placed in Tecumseh is going to be a great learning expereince. As an extremely diverse school as Tecumseh is, I think it will allow me to gain the exepreince of working will all different kinds of kids ranging from education levels, race, and family backgrounds.
The question of identity is interesting and something that I have pondered a great deal in my twenty-two years of living. This past year has been an especially important in determining the way that I define myself in the grand scheme of things. This summer I was part of a bicycle trip that went from Rhode Island to Seattle, and as a result I got addicted to a nomadic lifestyle. Now I feel restless when I am indoors or stagnant for a long period of time. After living out of a suitcase that contain only two different outfits and waking up in a different place every morning, I now crave a lifestyle that is both simple and adventurous. A shift in identity also occurred when I made the decision to donate my hair to cancer victims based off the logic that it was hot and someone else could benefit from the hair much more than I could. At first I simply shaved my hair to shed a nuisance and support a cause, but a funny thing happened. My buzz cut became a part of my identity and I felt more myself without my hair. To summarize, two key components of my identity are the desire for travel and the desire to shed the unnecessary. If one were to use labels, I am a 22-year-old white gay female. I would describe myself as a deeply empathetic human being.
ReplyDeleteIn the classroom, I feel that my identity is very different from my identity outside the classroom, and this can be a source of stress for me. Almost anyone who knows me would describe me as a very confident and outgoing person. This is why I was surprised when my mentor teacher critiqued my teaching by saying that I lacked confidence and charisma. In other words, I am too shy in his classroom. While this is contrary to everything I have every heard about myself, I think there is something to his critique. With my love of being nomadic, comes a distaste for the confinement of rules. Suddenly, a classroom feels very constricting, and I feel very awkward when I have to enforce rules and take my mentor teachers advice to look at classroom issues through a black and white lens. It is an uncomfortable environment for me. I like life with little structure outside the classroom, yet I see the importance of creating structure within the classroom. I feel as if I put on a "costume" of professionalism and leave my personality outside the door. However, as I have spent more time in the classroom, I have noticed that the more "real" I become and the more I show my own style, the more successful I am at making connections with students. It is something I will continue to work on throughout the semester.