Why I Teach

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by Leslie Williams1 view·Updated Sep 25, 2021
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  1. my learning manifesto by Leslie Williams, my grandma, grandpa and
  2. father are all educators and I knew that I wanted
  3. to follow in their footsteps since I was in the
  4. second grade After teaching for 15 years, my manifesto has
  5. changed many times.
  6. I've taught every grade level from pre K to fifth.
  7. And not only has it changed with each grade level,
  8. but also with experience.
  9. Although education has changed drastically over the years, my main
  10. philosophies have, not from the beginning, I've always said that
  11. I want to be the teacher that not only focuses
  12. and teaches my students about academics, but how to be
  13. good people, respectful family members and upstanding citizens.
  14. There's a quote by dr rita Pearson that I've always
  15. loved and remind myself of frequently, every child deserves a
  16. champion, an adult who will never give up on them,
  17. who understands the power of connection and insist that they
  18. become the best they can possibly be.
  19. I strive each day for my students to feel that
  20. I love them like my own.
  21. Not only do I love who they are, but I
  22. love the learners they are and the scholars, they're becoming
  23. to do this.
  24. I spent the first few weeks developing relationships in our
  25. classroom community.
  26. This is so important to building trust between my students
  27. and I.
  28. Students will learn better where they feel comfortable and safe
  29. and I want my classroom to be that place for
  30. them. I hope that each student leaves my classroom knowing
  31. that they are lifelong learners who make mistakes and that's
  32. okay. I want them to be hands on 21st century
  33. students who teach me as much as I teach them
  34. and I decided to go back to get my masters
  35. degree. I knew I wanted to find a technology education
  36. program. I love working with technology.
  37. I have my own small graphic design business and I
  38. have unofficially become the tech, go to person on my
  39. campus. I feel like after quarantine tech became the forefront
  40. to education and now that we see the benefits, it's
  41. not going away anytime soon.
  42. Technology in the classroom is our future.
  43. I believe that it increases engagement and accountability with our
  44. students and we can open the world to give virtual
  45. experiences that students may not have.
  46. Otherwise. There are so many ways to communicate with students
  47. around the world and engage their global voices and perspectives
  48. to cultures around them.
  49. As far as the future is concerned, I truly believe
  50. that we are teaching our students for the jobs they
  51. will have that currently do not exist.
  52. We need the students to know how to share ideas
  53. and collaborate with each other using multiple platforms to prepare
  54. them for new tech careers that are being developed.
  55. E portfolios are an example and they've become so popular
  56. with students even as young as kindergarten to show their
  57. work progress and learning.
  58. I truly believe that using technology in the classroom will
  59. change the way teachers are able to vary the instruction
  60. to every student's needs and abilities and provide better educational
  61. opportunities for every learner.
  62. One of the challenges the educators face is burnt out.
  63. I believe this is because most forget why they wanted
  64. to teach in the first place.
  65. It's easy to get rolled up in all the paperwork,
  66. data, politics and social stresses that come with the job
  67. and we forget that we are there for the students.
  68. Then when we begin to add new resources and technology
  69. into the mix each year and some teachers struggle to
  70. accept the change and resist new and upcoming ways to
  71. teach. Many teachers want the interaction with their students and
  72. feel that virtual learning will provide a lack of contact
  73. with them and their peers.
  74. I think one of the ways we can lessen and
  75. begin to solve this problem is for districts to make
  76. sure that all teachers are receiving adequate training to all
  77. staff members.
  78. If new programs are being introduced, teachers are less likely
  79. to get on board with technology if they don't feel
  80. comfortable using it themselves.
  81. If we expect our students to grow and change each
  82. year, then teachers should do the same as I continue
  83. on this grad school journey.
  84. My excitement only grows for the possibilities of what I
  85. will learn and be able to do by the end
  86. of my courses, I will not only be able to
  87. introduce my students to a new way of learning through
  88. technology but also help my peers and co workers.
  89. I get excited knowing that a student who may have
  90. struggled before they find a new way of succeeding with
  91. technology projects or new online programs.
  92. The growth that we see is endless.
  93. My goal is to eventually work in the district level
  94. to help evolve our curriculum to include more technology and
  95. how to easily integrate it into daily lesson planning.
  96. I'm blessed to teach in a district that has wonderful
  97. tech department and seems ahead of the game when it
  98. comes to program, student services and support that our teachers
  99. receive. Technology may not answer all of our problems in
  100. education, but it's a good starting point in providing another
  101. opportunity for all students to learn at their own pace
  102. and in their own way.