Why I Want to Teach

When I was younger, I always pictured myself being a pediatric nurse because I love children and I also love helping people in need. Then I got older and decided that I couldn't handle the blood and all the sad things that can come along with being a nurse. Then when I was 14, I got a job at the preschool that I went to myself when I was a preschooler. I was a camp counselor for an arts & crafts camp, and I immediately fell in love with working with children. I loved teaching them new things and generally just spending time with them. Children just have a positive aura about them that is always fun to be around. They are so positive and happy 24/7. This love that was started from working with children at this summer camp was nothing compared to the love I have for the students at my current job.

Back in my hometown of Waitsfield, Vermont, I work at a ski resort in the Day School. At the Day School, there are children from ages six weeks to six years old, but I primarily work in the preschool room and the children in that room are from two and a half years old to five years old. I am very lucky for the bonds that I formed with the children there. I work five days a week there, so I've gotten very close with all my students there. When I go back and visit while I'm at school, I immediately get football tackled by twenty three year olds and it makes me feel like I've made a big impression on their little minds. While at school, I get constant mail and packages from my students and from their families. From my first day of working there in 2012, I immediately fell in love with the profession of teaching. Even though I'm sure working in a preschool is completely different from being a classroom teacher. I love how intrigued children get when they hear about something they don't know about. They are so curious and eager to learn and be taught. Thats why I want to teach a young grade because they are young and so eager to learn more and more.

Another reason I want to be an elementary school teacher is because of the current education system today. When I was in the early elementary grades, I loved being in school. I would get excited to go to my classroom everyday and learn something new. Once I reached the higher grades such as fifth and sixth grade, I lost my love for school and learning which is incredibly unfortunate. I want to make sure as an early elementary grade teacher, that I establish a love for school and learning in my students that will last them all through their school experience.

My Future Classroom

This past week in EDU 270, my class was assigned to write a paper on what we would want our future learning environment to look like. I have been thinking about what I would want my classroom to physically look like ever since I was in elementary school myself. I am a perfectionist, I like everything perfectly organized and aesthetically pleasing at all times. Above everything else, I envision my classroom to be warm and welcoming for my students. I want my classroom to have tons of bright colors, but not distracting enough that my kindergardeners can't focus properly.

I get all my ideas for my classroom layout, bulletin boards, and other things in the classroom from Pinterest, which I'm sure all of my peers use too to get their ideas. Scrolling though Pinterest, I always see various bulletin board set ups involving students pictures and names. For example, this birthday calendar. I think birthday calendars make students feel like a valued part of the learning community which is really important. Also, this picture outside the door listing all students names I think is a great idea because once again, it makes the students feel apart of the classroom. Also, it creates an opportunity for arts & crafts which all kindergardeners love!

I plan to have my classroom extremely structured and organized. I'm going to have everything color coordinated and labeled properly so that my students will know that there is a place for everything and everything has a place. I have seen a lot of elementary school classrooms where teachers just have too much going on in the room. I think there is a fine line between fun and colorful, and messy and unorganized. I think one of the most important aspects of the classroom that needs a lot of focus on organization and formation are the tables and chairs. I know from working in a preschool that five year olds have an incredibly hard time trying to stay still and focus on one thing at a time. Because of this, table and chair arrangements in the classroom are really important to me. A lot of people don't believe in having assigned seats, but I will have assigned seats in my class that change every month or so. I want to have round tables in my class to promote collaboration between my students, and learning from one and other. Instead of having regular plastic and metal classroom chairs, I plan to have yoga balls or some other form of seating so children can move around while they work. I understand that kindergardeners are very physical and need constant movement, so having yoga balls to sit on will keep them moving around but also focused on their work.