Why I am a teacher

Becoming a teacher for me is an irony filled journey. My paternal grandparents

(first generation Americans) were teachers in the 30s and 40s. They also instilled in my
father and his siblings a strong love of science, specifically biology. As a family they
would go camping, hiking, and hunting every weekend. On all of these different journeys
my dad and his siblings learned the names of every plant, tree, and animal. That same
love of wildlife was instilled in my siblings and myself. From my dad I loved science
however, that didnt translate into the classroom. In fact in school science was my least
favorite subject. In particular Chemistry, in high school, was horrific. It wasnt until
college that I took a chemistry class that changed my mind. I had such a great teacher.
Not only did I enjoy going to chemistry I looked forward to it! At the beginning of
college I was majoring in engineering. I was good at math and would make good money
once I graduated. What more could I want? Eventually I realized that I didnt like
engineering and that I didnt feel like I fit the mold very well. All of a sudden I was
plagued with choosing another future. I scoured the list of majors K-STATE offered. The
School of Education kept sticking out to me. But I could never choose to be a teacher. I
wanted nice things and to be able to travel. Teaching could not provide the life I wanted.
After a lot of contemplation and praying I decided to become a teacher anyways. Not just
any teacher a Chemistry teacher. I deciding on a career that I always had denied (even
though it was in my blood) but it was to teach a subject in high school I hated.

Through this new major I reflected on my own experience in high school. I

discovered that I didnt like science because of my teachers and the way the subject was

taught. It was always dull and lacked enthusiasm for the content. When my dad would
teach me about plants and animals there was always passion. I liked science because he
loved it. Those experiences have helped to shape the teacher that I am today. My mission
is to share my love of science that I discovered from my father and in college to my
students.
1st year teaching
Currently I am in my third year of teaching. Im just at the point where I feel that
I have some idea of what I am doing. My first year as any new teacher was tough! There
were so many things to learn teaching for the first time. I was overwhelmed learning how
to use my projector, phones, making copies, our grading system (Skyward), policies,
procedures, and the pacing of my content. Many of these things I hadnt even think about
until I needed them.
I left college thinking I would be the quintessential perfect teacher. As a very
much Type-A personality I was determined to live up to these expectations in my head.
Sooner rather than later I found out that way of thinking was exhausting and ultimately
detrimental. The scenario was always setting myself up to fail. I believed that I would
never let a student fail and have every student succeed in my classroom. All to quickly I
learned that sometimes a teacher could care more about the students grade than them.
Thus putting in more effort than they do. You can lead a horse to water but you cant
make it drink. Students also have a life outside of school, which affects them in the
classroom as well. As a teacher youre not always able to resolve those conflicts. I had to
learn that outside circumstances affect their besides simply what Im teaching.

The most important lesson I learned was about classroom management. There is
no practice that can prepare you for taking over your own classroom. Learning to
establish rules and expectations is critical.
All of these things added up to one overwhelmed first year teacher. But I
survived. My first year was just about trying to keep my head above water but I learned
so much in the process.
2nd year teaching
My second year was focused on making my curriculum and teaching better. This
is when I also started graduate school, again, at K-STATE. It was wonderful because I
could take the lessons I learned in my grad school and apply them to my classroom.
This year I knew all of the procedures, policies, pacing, etc. I was able to focus
on my delivery of content. I took lessons that I had to teach the first year and asked
myself what do I want students to know at the end of this, how am I going to teach
this, how will I know they learned the concept. Asking myself these questions allowed
for a much more meaningful and impactful lessons. I felt better as a teacher because I
was more prepared. These more thorough lesson plans translated into better
understanding for my students.
3rd year teaching
Now in my third year Im again delving deeper and finding new strategies that fit
my teaching style and students. My school is one to one iPads which makes the
utilization of technology in my classroom very important. Adjusting to using technology
has been a process for the students and myself. Im teaching in a completely different
way than I learned (which at times can be scary). However, using technology has allowed

the tables to be turned. Instead of having my classroom centered on the teacher it is on

the students. They are responsible for their own learning. Im no longer simply giving
them information but rather showing them how to find information and how to use it for
their own knowledge. As a result students are practicing using high order cognitive skills
such as analyzing and evaluating. This isnt without problems though. iPads have the
potential to be distractions. Keeping students on task has presented a challenge but one I
am sure I can resolve and will get better at with more time.
Phronesis and Bildung
Phronesis is knowledge and bildung takes into account a persons culture,
social, and geographical environment (Kontje 1993). Both of these concepts I practiced
in a basic level with my teaching. Without a doubt I now see an even greater emphasis
needs to be put on these for classroom.
Phronesis in particular allows for reflection in action (Birmingham, 2004,
p.315). To summarize this means that while I am teaching I can be reflecting. For
example, I teach the same class three times, if something goes poorly one class I make a
mental note and adjust before the next class. By me reflecting on my teaching as it occurs
makes me a more effective teacher.
Bildung has definitely shaped who I am as a teacher and my students as well. I
teach in a particular manner because of my own surroundings. Ive found that my
surroundings are very different than most of the students I teach. My students come to me
from a variety of backgrounds. Some of them are upper middle class and have relatively
happy lives while other students have to work to support their entire family. Those two

students are going to learn differently and have different experiences that I need to be
aware of.
Philosophy
Bildung and phronesis have unconsciously helped shaped my teaching
philosophy. I believe that students learn best when they enjoy being in my classroom.
Chemistry isnt the most exciting subject so I make my room fun and entertaining. I dont
care if their coming because theyre excited to learn chemistry or just because they enjoy
me as a teacher. As long as they are coming that is all that matters because whether
they realize it or not theyll learn something. This is my version of hiding vegetables in
the dinner.
Another important aspect of my teaching is giving students immediate feedback.
Assignments are graded within a day. Many checks for understanding are given using
Socrative, Kahoot, and other apps that given students instantaneous feedback. This helps
students be aware their true understanding. This helps keep my expectations high and
maintainable. The students do not have time to relax, scuff off, etc. If students are having
issues they can be resolved immediately before moving too far along.
Learning to work well with others is an essential life skill. Weve also been taught
2 minds are better than one. With this in mind I have my students arranged in groups.
They occasionally have to work all together to solve problems, at other times in partners,
and occasionally alone. There are several reasons groups work well for my classroom.
One, Im teaching them to communicate and work effectively as a team. Second, there is
only one teacher. It can be extremely hard to get around to all thirty students. In

consequence they use one another as resources. Third, sometimes hearing the material
from a peers perspective helps it stick.
There are many other concepts that I have instilled in my teaching practices.
Clearly establishing rules and expectations is ESSENTIAL for a successful semester. It is
always easier to loosen the reigns then try and real them back in. Consistency is also
extremely important. Students respond well to teachers that are consistent. This pertains
to assignments and punishments.
In conclusion Im only in my 3rd year of teaching. Im still figuring at the core of
my teaching philosophy because it is evolving everyday. Im still learning who I am as a
teacher and what works best in my classroom. Ive loved the ride so far and cant wait to
see where it takes me.