Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Eric Tarkalson
Abstract
Being a teacher is one of the most rewarding occupations that a person can have. A teacher plays
a big role in the future of our country. This occurs when a dedicated teacher fulfills his or her
obligation to prepare future generations of students to became leaders of this great county. There
needs to be teachers to ensure that every child receives the education they need and to meet their
personal ambitions. Every child has great potential and it’s our job as a teacher to help the child
reach them. Teacher’s should focus all their attention on the student. A teacher can create an
avenue for every child to see these opportunities. Every child need an education. The world is
very competitive and an education is crucial to be successful. What children learn in school will
allow them to meet their needs and assist them in becoming responsible adults in society. It is
important for a teacher to understand the needs of every student and be aware of them. Teachers
are a great influence to the children and through these efforts, shape our nations’ future. Students
Introduction
Teaching is a very rewarding occupation in which you can share the knowledge that
you’ve learned with others. I found a love for teaching while substituting at the local high school.
It has come to my attention, that working with students gives me great satisfaction, pure joy, and
a sense of fulfillment that I haven’t had in other areas of my life. This is a way, I can give back to
my community and help the students in my community reach the goals that they have set. I
know I will have great influence on the students that I teach. I will always be aware of the
student and his or her needs. A teacher has the responsibility to recognize the factors that shape
The main role of a teacher is to help each student learn and reach their highest potential.
Every student has the ability within them to learn. When teaching, it is important for every
student to be responsible for his or her own actions in the learning process. As a teacher, it is my
responsibility to find the learning styles that are most effective for the students. Learning styles
is the aim of a teacher to understand how each child learns differently. This will help the students
comprehend what is being taught. I know that it is my responsibility to organize, create, and
maintain a positive setting in the classroom. I will maintain a positive perception of the
curriculum with each student by using a democratic leadership style. A style of leadership that
allows students to be actively involved in the classroom and creating equal opportunity and
responsibility for each student. I will use a cognitive oriented curriculum, giving the students
the opportunity to help plan the lesson activities. I have found this to be very effective when
working with students. Cognitive oriented curriculum is tied closely with Jean Pigets’ theory of
DIVERSITY STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS ESSAY 4
cognitive development. The educational field attempts to blend the virtues of purposeful teaching
with opened ended, child-initiated activities with this type of curriculum (Berns, 2016).
It is very important to maintain a high level of expectation for the students. I have found
that both the teacher and the student need to set goals together that will create a vision of what is
to be expected of them. These goals need to include, as John Goodlad believes, “academic,
vocational, social, civic, cultural, and personal goals.” (Berns, 2016) When students, together
with the teacher, create the goals and set clear expectations to achieve them, it gives the student a
clear picture of what they are required to do. This is a contract between the student and the
teacher.
I have the responsibility to help students become a productive adult in society. A teacher
has a great effect on the socialization of a productive student. The school educational system is
one of the many microsystems, which are small outside influences that help shape each student.
I know that my methods of teaching will have an impact on a student’s self-concept and can
shape the student’s perception of his or her identity as distinct from that of another’s. This has an
impact on the students’ self-esteem. The mesosystems around us such as our families, cultures,
and communities have a great impact on a student’s ability to learn, influencing the student, good
or bad. Some Children are surrounded by good influences like, loving families, positive role
models, food on the table, and a warm place to sleep. These influences will have a positive effect
on a student. Some children aren’t so lucky, they can lack all these positive influences and will
adversely affect them and their ability to learn. It is my responsibility as a teacher to recognize
these problems and make the need changes to assist them. The lack of positive influence will
cause physical and psychological stressors, which effect a student’s ability to cope with these
DIVERSITY STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS ESSAY 5
problems. These stressors are caused by any situation, physical or mental that has the ability to
Urie Bronfenbrenner found that “children from birth to age 15 who were from low-
income families, who attended a quality child-care are more advanced cognitively that children
who do not.” (Berns, 2016) This suggests children with a poor home life, who can get a few
hours of positive influence from a teacher will have a more promising future. This is the goal of
an effective teacher. When anyone or anything within a child’s mesosystem, provides positive
influence, they give the child more empowerment, which enables individuals to have control
found among the students. I will practice cultural pluralism in my classroom. This is a mutual
appreciation and understanding of the various cultures and a co-existence in a society of different
languages, religious beliefs, and lifestyles. Assimilation will also occur in this setting, but at the
minorities’ own pace. Cultural assimilation is a process whereby a minority cultural group
takes on the characteristics of the majority cultural group over a period of time. This will occur
over time at the pace of minority and is important that the students be respectful to one another.
When working with different cultures, it is important to recognize the different style of
learning that come with these cultural diversities. Language can be a factor that affects the ability
to learn. The Equal Educational Opportunity Act was passed in 1974, requiring schools to
take appropriate action to overcome language barriers of students who cannot speak English
(Berns, 2016). When working with students that have a difficulty speaking English, I will use an
DIVERSITY STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS ESSAY 6
authoritative teaching style. I will direct the overall path towards the specific goal, which is
learning English. When teaching students with disabilities, I have found that they thrive more in
a one-on-one setting, allowing the teacher to assess the individuals learning style, whether it be
visual, auditory, or tactile. It is important for all teachers to make these adjustments for minority
Today, students come from many different cultures. They face difficulties at home due to
divorce, and poverty and some have no educational support at home. This makes it difficult to
meet their social, emotional, and cognitive learning needs. Cognitive learning helps a student
obtain problem solving abilities to their surrounding environment. Permissive parenting skills
lead students to be less self-reliant and have a lack of self-control. It will help change this cycle
of negativity by applying positive discipline, the guidance that they might lack at home. To help
these students an authoritative learning environment is most optimal. It will give boundaries to
the student and they can see that I will reason and work with them. I will give feedback to the
students, creating mutual respect. When working with students that have a wide range of
I have had the opportunity of observing many classroom settings in which I have seen
various forms of assessing the students learning. Authentic assessment would be more
Standardized tests compare an individual’s ability to the norm on scientifically selected items,
where as authentic assessment assesses the student on their real performance, showing mastery
of it. Standardized tests are important have their place in assessing students, but it is crucial to
find what fits best for the students. Jean Jacques Rousseau theorizes, that children are innately
DIVERSITY STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS ESSAY 7
good, need freedom to grow, naturally seek out appropriate experiences to grow and develop.
(Berns, 2016) When a teacher provides this opportunity, with guidance in a positive direction, all
Conclusion
My goal as a teacher is to be the best that I can be. I will use every tool possible to help
each student reach their goals. I had a teacher in the 4th grade that is my hero. She taught me
many things as a small child that I still treasure today. My hopes are to emulate those same
characteristics that she shared with me. I knew she cared, she pushed me, she held me
accountable for my learning and actions, and most of all I knew she was there for me. I want to
make a difference in the world. I will continue to gain the skills and knowledge become effective
References
Berns, R. (2016) Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support. (10th ed.)