I want to teach in a high need school because I feel that is where I can make the biggest difference. I understand that there is a large achievement gap in low income communities and I want to help correct this gap to give each student a chance to achieve their goals. I expect the work to be very challenging. Low income schools have a higher teacher turnover rate than higher income schools. There are many factors that may explain this, but no doubt a tough teaching environment is part of the reason. If I were teaching in Milwaukee I would expect a very large learning gap in my students. Many students are most likely learning at their grade level, some may excel, but I anticipate many have been left behind. I think one of the largest challenges would be teaching for the success of all students. I must identify the students who are underachieving and work to help them get back on track. I must also strive to help those who are not underachieving to excel, and push their boundaries as well. No students should be limited.
I teach an after school science club to elementary school children between third and fifth grades. They vary wildly in their understanding of science principles. To make the club enjoyable for all the children, I try to design activities that are flexible enough to allow kids who are more advanced and kids who are less advanced to both learn and explore. I try and tailor questions to each individual of my club based on their understanding of principles. My goal is to make science seem fun for everyone, regardless of their prior knowledge. In a similar way, I expect to encounter students of varying abilities as a science teacher in a Milwaukee school. I must ensure that all of my students are able to achieve regardless of their current knowledge.
The kids are not actively engaged in the classroom. Instead of being engaged in their school work, they are engaging themselves in non-academic activities which are inadvertently distracting other students. As a teacher, I am not properly engaging the students. The activities are obviously not getting the kids engaged as I had hoped and the tutoring I offer is not being utilized to help the students in need of help.
My first priority would be to understand why the students are not engaged so that I can correct it. The students may not be engaged in class because they think the material is boring, or perhaps they have fallen behind in the class and have given up. It is important to understand why the disruptions are taking place in order to correct them. If I am offering tutoring sessions, I need to assess whether they are being utilized by the students who need them most. Once I understand the cause of the lack of engagement, I can begin to fix it. My Second priority would be to ensure that rules of the classroom are being obeyed. If a student is caught using an iPod, they must stop. Students will respect someone enforces rules fairly. As a teacher, I would have very high expectations of my students. Not obeying simple rules of the classroom negatively impacts other members of the classroom and disrupts learning. If students develop respect for my classroom rules, the overall learning environment for all students will be improved.
I can ensure the high academic achievement of all of my students. If students are given the right tools to succeed in a classroom, they are all capable of succeeding. It will take hard work by both the students and the teacher to reach high academic achievement, but it is a goal that they are all capable of achieving. With the right amount of encouragement in class and outside of class, all of these students can and should be able to achieve more than what is expected of them.