Teachers: Unsung Heroes of the World

Reading chapter six of America’s Teachers: An Introduction to Education (Newman, 2006) reminded me of the Barenaked Ladies song It’s All Been Done (Page, 1998). As I read the conflicting sides of each argument regarding education as far back of the Civil War, I kept thinking how none of this sounded new. It’s all been done before, and we are still debating many of the same issues. Newman (2006) put it another way, “Despite promoters’ claims to the contrary, few educational wheels are brand new. Most have been reinvented. Sold to the public as innovations, they are more like retreaded and recycled tires” (p.180). The purpose of education, the way in which education is managed by state and federal governments, and whom we educate (and how) will always be, in my opinion, a hot debate.

As I logged onto my Facebook account last week, I received a notification saying that this time last year I was a Junior Knight Summer Camp volunteer photographer. I was in total disbelief because this year I actually got the chance to teach rising sixth graders along with my other two cohort members. I must say that being a “teacher” is completely different than being a “volunteer”. As a teacher, you are held accountable for everything that goes on in and out of your classroom that involves your students. I had the opportunity to be apart of the preparation process, build rapport with my students, build great co-teaching relationships and develop my leadership qualities even further.

The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.

“Be the change you wish to see in this world.” Gandhi. This quote resonates deep with me especially now that I have answered the call to become a teacher. Complaining about this generation’s lack of respect was a hobby of mine and becoming a teacher was never a part of the plan. Then life happened. However, before I dive into my testimony let me share a little bit about myself.

The person that I am most grateful for is my beautiful mother, Yvette Visconte. She is very important to me and I love her with all my heart. I am going to show my mom my gratitude by reading her this letter.

gratitude to my parents, who gave me the tools and values necessary to be where I

Lastly, I would also like to thank GOD and My Parents empowering my spirit in this everlasting journey for the quest of knowledge.

To my family and friends. Without your help and understanding this would not have been possible.

The skills and attributes of an outstanding student support educator are those that are reflected by outstanding teachers. Because educating our children is a task that challenges professionals to vary instruction according to needs, those working in the field of education must possess a broad range of skills and attributes to be outstanding in their field. Character traits of outstanding educators include: respect for others, professionalism, flexibility, understanding, and passion combined with a love for learning.

The United States, beholds a unique and diverse population of academic students. However, our nation still ranks 17th in educational performance amongst other nations in the world. In my eyes this underachievement is due to the gap of knowledge towards the factors that affects teaching and learning. Teaching is a complex work because it requires a wide range of knowledge and skills( Ed Psych p.4). Educators are accountable for making sure a diverse population attains information that they are required to teach. However, with the immense structured educational system that we have in this country today there are many different approaches that instructors have to take in order to teach their students. Instructors also have to take into consideration the different learning styles students possess. Many academic instructors base their teachings methods on attempts to see high grade performances and standardized

What makes a teacher outstanding goes far beyond their content area knowledge. They will wear many hats throughout the academic year, acting not only as a teacher, but also a mentor, cheerleader, and coach. An outstanding teacher is approachable and tolerant, they are their not only to teach, but to build valuable relationships with the students, parents, and the community. Additionally, they are life-long learners who instill the love for learning into their students while continuing to grow themselves. A superior teacher will continue to grow learning not only from peers but their students as well. While every student may not love Shakespeare, an outstanding teacher will ensure students make text-to-self connections needed to keep them engaged.

There are many attributes that I believe define and comprise the qualities in an outstanding teacher in today’s classrooms. First, outstanding teachers know their students. By knowing each student, a teacher is able to plan and implement instruction in a way that is meaningful to each individual. Outstanding teachers are proactive. Behavior is reduced and instructional time increased through proactive practices such as teaching routines and providing student supports. Outstanding teachers collect and use student data frequently to help meet student needs and increase meaningful instructional time. Supportive communication is another essential skill to be an outstanding teacher. An outstanding teacher effectively collaborates and communicates

Overall this class has made me really stop and think critically about the material we have been learning. Every time I am in this class I am challenging myself to think deeply and thoughtfully about certain scenarios, certain concepts and I am always leaving this class wanting to know more. The part that stands out to me the most was the myth of the hero teacher. I myself wanted to become that “hero” teacher but I never really understood the myth that this holds until this class. A hero teacher is a myth and we abolished this by the class readings both online and from the Ayers text. I have learned how to see students and also on how to create an environment to allow learning to happen at its full extent. I have learned a lot from the William Ayers text and the truth that it holds. I am always highlighting the book with the certain points that stand out the most to me. I am super glad I bought this book so I can highlight it and keep it for whenever I need it!

Teachers act as role models to their students in hopes of inspiring them to greatness. As a future educator, I may be the only person in my students’ lives who teaches them the importance of hard work and good character. This is why it’s essential for me to build a positive rapport with every child. I want to teach them to be caring and compassionate members of society. By being a moral teacher, I will positively impact the moral development of my students. My goal is to help each student learn to be a better version of themselves by the time they leave my classroom.

My greatest contribution as an instructor has been the time I have spent off the podium. There are several subjects that I may not be familiar with or maybe seen as the tougher subjects or perhaps even boring. The time that is spent preparing outside of the classroom is extremely important. As an instructor first and foremost you have to spend countless hours researching a subject, analyze it, and anticipate questions. It is not a comfortable to be in front of students and not fully knowing the subject. Not only does the material have to make sense to you, you then have to take that material and think about how to explain it so that every different Soldier from every different background can make sense of it. Practicing teaching methods using different comparisons, developing training aids all takes a lot of time outside of the duty hours to deliver the best level of instruction possible. Then there is the time spent improving on the lesson plan. The lesson plans we receive are often times missing information, they order they are in doesn’t make sense and sometimes they are completely blank a give use nothing to go off of. That means dedicating the hours outside of the class room to improve or even completely build that lesson plan. Time must be spent to ensure that every piece of information the students need is included. This is not always possible we could easily spend an entire week breaking down the components of an automatic transmission and go into