SEMESTER 1 (S1): Meta-Reflection (500 words)

What kind of teacher do I want to be?

I hope to be the kind of teacher that creates an inclusive classroom setting; where each child feels comfortable to speak, has a sense of belonging and that they are important. I think it is essential because it was something that I was lacking from my school experience and I don’t think that I was better for the absence of it. I strongly believe that such an environment will make my classroom feel like a safe and comforting place. I won’t always be aware of what is going on in the personal lives of my students, for this reason it is crucial to me that my classroom is a familiar space, a constant in their lives and an environment that my pupils can rely on regardless of what is going on elsewhere. 

It is imperative to me that I am a fun teacher. Children are more likely to be engaged and learn more if they are enjoying themselves. Fun also creates a positive association and attitude to education that will hopefully stand to them in the future in regard to education. On this note I think that it is vital to say that while I want to be a fun teacher, I also hope to be organised and authoritative. I have no doubt that it is hard to strike a balance between the two but I fear that if I am too permissive, chaos would break out in the classroom. I hope that taking an authoritative approach will establish mutual respect between myself and the children. I hope to give the children a sense of inclusion, responsibility and fairness by negotiating the classroom rules with them mutually at the beginning of the year. If the children are included in this process it is more likely that they will understand why the rules are in place and why they are important. I aspire for the children to refer to me as a fun teacher that is kind, thoughtful and fair.

I want to be a passionate teacher that instils enthusiasm into my teaching.There is a higher probability that the children will engage with my lessons if I am genuinely enthusiastic about what I am teaching. From my own experience, it’s apparent when a teacher’s heart isn’t in it. If the teacher doesn’t care, it’s very hard for you to care as the pupil. I also hope that my passion and enthusiasm is recognised by the parents of the children I teach; effective schooling involves full teacher-parent collaboration and co-operation. For this reason I want to be the kind of teacher that has a good rapport with the parents. I hope that they can see that I care about their child’s individual needs, that I have taken the time to get to know their child on a personal level in order to support and facilitate them best.

In conclusion, my overall goal is to be the best that I can be, for myself and for the children that I am teaching. I believe that a fun, inclusive and authoritative approach to teaching will bring to the forefront my qualities that I hope to bring out as a teacher - kind, understanding, supportive and passionate.