Urban Teacher Interview Report

I decided to interview a friend of mine who just started her second year of teaching. She works for a Middle School in Westchester County, teaching 6th and 7th grade math. I asked her a series of questions about her whole experience on becoming a teacher. I was relieved to hear what her first few days were like being a new teacher, because that could be nerve racking for any new teacher. She explained to me that she was shocked on her first few days, and overwhelmed with the respect she immediately received from her students. They greet her in the hallway, and thank her as they leave class. I could just imagine how good that would feel to get that reaction from your students. When I asked her why she decided to teach the grade that she is in, she explained to me that she chose to do middle school because it is a crucial time for development in an adolescents life, and also a challenging time.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve known what I wanted to do. I am one of those people who was blessed enough to realize my passion at an early age. As far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to become a teacher. I can remember as a child sitting in my room, surrounded by my stuffed animals (or students, as I saw them) and forcing my younger brother to sit still and quietly do the work I assigned him. I even had two baskets which I kept on my little wooden desk; one for my “students” to turn in work, and the other for more work which needed to be graded. I spent many afternoons

For me, the decision to become a teacher is more of a way of life than a career. I have always loved school, practicing at being school marm from a young age, and voraciously devouring every shred of education offered me in my career as a student. If it were possible, I would be a student for the rest of my life. And then I still would not have learned enough. As a teacher, I hope to instill this appetite for knowledge in secondary students. They are, after all, the future leaders of the world, and what better place to expand the minds of the generations to come than here in Appalachia where education programs, especially the sciences, which I plan to teach, are poorly funded and children’s dreams

She explained positive parts about being a teacher as being able to do what you love with growing children. As children go through stages of development, it is a good feeling to see what they are going to become in the future. She explains the bond she has with her students as one of the greatest feelings in the world. In early childhood, being their first teacher can have a major impact on how well they are going to do. Being able to create a good well-educated start to education is important. She explained that she wants to be able to educate children in the best way she can because the outcome of seeing them succeed is amazing.

One of the questions I asked her was “What skills and personal qualities are important for success in your field?” after I asked this question she told me that some of the keys that make a successful teacher is someone who is patient and loves kids. She also said that being a teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs to have because no other occupation is possible without a teacher. Her response made me think about myself and made me realize that I really do want to be a teacher.

I always thought I would be a teacher and I would make differences in lives and it would be the greatest experience in the world for me, yet being a teacher wasn’t enough, I had a need to expand my education. I decided that perhaps I needed a new career, however, I felt certain education remained my passion. I began to explore new areas of education and I realized I still want to be a member of a classroom, a school and curriculum. I aspire to guide those leading our classrooms.

My decision to be a teacher did not come easily to me. This choice was dependent on a reflection about what I was passionate about and how I could make a difference. I have chosen to become a teacher, as I believe teachers have the ability to provide future generations the stimulation for one of the most significant roles in life; to become a lifelong learner. Many teachers that I have had during my education have had a positive impact on my decision to grow and develop the skills that are fundamental to pursue a successful teaching career. My aim is to be a part of an honorable profession with the optimism that one day I will become an efficacious teacher who can provide future teachers with inspiration, as my teachers have provided for me. Through personal educational experiences and peer-reviewed academic literature, I am able to shape my approach to my pre-service teaching, as it will influence my future practice. As a teacher, there is not just one singular approach to educating students; there is a need for flexibility, diversity, adaptation and reflection.

To say that "I am extremely passionate about working with children" would be an enormous understatement in regards to my personal experiences, ideologies and self-proclaimed purposes in respects to working in public schools. Being passionate about ones every day line of work is a huge deciding factor for most of us when it comes to “what we want to be when we grow up.” Conversely, it was quite simple for me, you see the rewards of teaching truly lie in the outcomes of one’s teaching. Knowing that from the first day of school, what I do and how I do it will have a domino effect on hundreds of lives throughout my career as an educator. In hopes to not only work in a field that I both admire and aspire to be a part of, I am also driven to one day be that teacher in which my students can look back and say “Miss. Chadwick really motivated me to be a better learner, artist, writer” and hopefully “a better person.”

My morning interview with a resource room teacher provided me with a wealth of vital information that will assist me in my future career. As I sat at length and spoke with Mrs. Provost, asking her questions that revealed the inner workings of her job and the various facets that accompany it, the same thought kept entering my mind “someday this going to be me”, and I could not be happier. While Mrs. Provost willingly and patiently answered each question I realized the obligation of educating in the department of special education is challenging at times. The commitment is tremendous, but when a student with any form of social or academic disability thrives under the direction of a special education teacher’s leadership, the end result can be

This is because of the awesome hours that come with being a teacher. As long as you do your job at work, you work approximately from seven to three, Monday through Friday, and have summers off. It seems like a pretty sweet gig to me but regardless of the lifestyle, I could never picture myself as a teacher. I just couldn’t put myself into the shoes of an educator and that is what threw the idea of becoming one out of my head. I continued to share this belief until very recently however when I began to speak to the individuals I mentioned earlier. They all gave me a new, unique point of view to the previous assumptions that I had on the field and I appreciated this immensely. All of the people I interviewed said that once they started to take an active role in the classroom (being the teacher is about the most active role you can play) they found their field of work to be actually fun and somewhat of a good time. Every single person in my study loved their job and my favorite quote concerning this has to be “Make sure you love it because you’re not in it for the money.”(Medley) I honestly would enjoy working a career where I could care less about the financial benefits and embark in an occupation that truly interests me. However, I don’t think that I could do that to myself because of my drive for success.

Education is the field in which, I plan to dedicate a good part of my life. Knowing that I am majoring in education has given me a direction; I plan to work to my fullest potential to obtain the goals and ideals of becoming not just a good teacher but a great one. Through my years in school many of my teachers have influenced me and have shown me a direction and a career. The teachers I have had over the years have shown me the gratification a person can get out of educating children and being a positive influence on them. The pride that I can take in teaching my students is a feeling that has influenced me to choose this field. Seeing that teaching is not only just a job, but also a way I can

Building cultural capital with urban students and making material more relatable requires teachers to build personal relationships with students. there are the major tenets to building productive relationships with students : acknowledging ,valuing, respecting , demonstrating fairness, exhibiting realness, and having fun (Skillful Teachers 319). When urban teachers develop relationships with their students those students are able to better connect with the class material. Delpit explains it as urban students are more able to interact with the content when their teachers interacts with the content. The strongest relationship is between the students and the teachers with the content as a aspect of that relationship.( Delpit 140). Delpit cites

The teacher I interviewed has taught for more than ten years at the same school. She started as a fourth grade teacher but she now works as an interventionist.

This past semesters has been an eye opening experience that has changed my views on teacher. Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be a fourth grade teacher. However after being placed in a second grade classroom my views have changed. I liked the idea of teaching fourth grade because my fourth grade teacher was my inspiration in life. When I was in Ms. Petro’s class I enjoyed being able to watch the students progress over time. Being able to see the drastic improvements in little children is very rewarding and that is why I want to continue to teach lower grades. I have learned that being a teacher requires a special someone, a person who knows that sometimes you will have to deal with tough situations leaving you exhausted and feeling like you are not able to help more. But at the same time, being a teacher allows one to be a visionary for the world and those who surround you.

Being a teacher is not an easy task as many people could think. To be a teacher does not only imply to know the subject to be taught, it also includes being willing to constantly improve oneself integrally, as much as updating the resources and materials one uses in teaching. Reflecting and analyzing over and over again the best way to teach to learn and how to make students to extend what has been learned. The many hours spend in the classroom will never be enough to plan lessons, prepare materials, review pupils tasks and exams, as well, all the administrative requirements one has to cover for whatever institution we work. Besides all this a good teacher, a professional one, will have to find the time to keep preparing to improve