Igniting the Spark

As a teacher, I hold high aspirations to inform young students of the value of knowledge and how they can use that knowledge as building blocks to success later in life. In order to accomplish this goal, I want to inspire them. Inspiration is the root of the learning process, and if an idea or concept takes hold in a student, it will stick with the students for the rest of their life. Young students are unaware that this inspiration will grow; in the beginning, they may see it as a fun science experiment or playing outside. But these activities can spark an interest or passion later in life. The trick is how do you inspire a student, every student learns differently, has different backgrounds and of course, gets stuck in the notion that school is just something they have to do and go through the motions of. I want to change this fundamental idea and make the classroom an exciting place with an inspirational instructional design, where each student comes out of there with that spark, a yearning for more.

To accomplish this a small class size is imperative, each student should have a chance to learn in a way that suits them best and not the standard set way that has been the framework for so many years. This may be a lofty goal because the standards have been set and the system is resistant to changes, but to be able to give at least a handful of students an experience that will change their life is what is so exciting about teaching. Allowing me the opportunity to set a path for these children that can give them success, maybe not in money, maybe not in fame, but success through the knowledge they take from me and can build on through their academic career.

To prepare myself for this task, I hope to learn the sociological aspects of how a classroom functions, how children interact with one another, and most importantly how they view education. If I can understand these aspects, I feel I can try and connect to my classroom in a substantially different way than how some classrooms are run. I want to figure out how to get that spark to ignite inside each student of mine and be able to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses on an individual level in order to help strengthen their weaknesses and more importantly focus on what they love. I know this sounds better on paper than in practice but I hope as I gain knowledge in how to be a quality teacher, I can achieve these goals.

For me, I have had a few teachers that have set me on certain paths and I thank them now for what they have done for me; the science teacher who made chemistry fun and exciting, or the English teacher that introduced an amazing book that has implanted ideas, aspirations, morals, and drive for a better future. All this was done in subtle ways that during the time seemed minuscule, almost insignificant, but when I observe the past it shows how they have fundamentally changed my path through life. I want to be one of these teachers and I will prepare in every way possible to strive for this goal. I want to learn how to prepare classroom lectures and activities with full intention and meaning behind them, and throughout the year in the classroom build upon ideas that have been presented. I feel I can accomplish these goals with hard work, effort, knowledge, and finally experience. I myself am still a student and will always be learning from every experience, not just those in the classroom but to be able to take the knowledge and apply it to everyday life by observing, inquiring, and seeking. I hope I can pass this love of knowledge onto every student of mine.