Belief Paper
By: Maria Elena Briones
EDTE 440
May 3, 2012
Instructor: Maria Sudduth
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Abstract
As a future teacher I am filled with mixed emotions. I am excited about becoming an influential
instrument for many young minds eager to learn. That excitement is being fed by motivation and
an endless thirst for knowledge. These are attributes that I believe are needed to be instilled in
children to promote a lifelong need and love for learning. Fear is another feeling roaming
around within me. Fear of falling short of my expectations and not fulfilling my definition of a
successful teacher. When I see fear in my way I sweep it away with a broom full of ideas which
continue to feed my motivation and encourage me to maintain my vision on my goal. Deep in
my heart I know I can and will be a positive influence in many, my goal is all, of the lives I
touch.
The six domains of the teaching performance expectations will be a much visited guide in my
future teaching career. Following the domains will facilitate motivation of student learning. As
a teacher I will need to plan lessons carefully and wisely in order to accomplish meeting my
lesson objectives. The degree of the objectives is the specifics of what I expect students to learn.
I plan on using contextualized teaching and learning, “teaching that draws on students’ life
experiences to make instruction meaningful and to motivate students to engage with learning in
the classroom and the school” (Pugach, 2009) to achieve the desired results. The foundation for
contextualized teaching and learning is getting to know the students. When students make real
life connections with the content being taught that new knowledge acquired is stored in their
long term memory with more ease.
A successful teacher isn’t one who has a brain full of facts and dates. Content knowledge is an
important asset for teaching but having cultural awareness is also an essential asset in order to
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make subject matter comprehensible to the students. Currently I am working in a middle school
in Willows and although Willows is a small rural city with a population less than 7,000 it is quite
diverse. The school receives most of its funds under Title I which means that the majority of the
student population is on free or reduced meals. The diverse population includes White, Hispanic,
Hmong, African American and American Indian with the majority also falling under the Low
Socio Economic Status category. About twenty-five to thirty percent of the students are
Hispanic.
Stephen Cary wrote a book specifically geared to guide teachers in ways to teach English
Language Learners. Chapter two is titled “How do I find useful information on a student’s
cultural background?” (Cary p.21) In this chapter Cary provides a classroom story in which a
teacher gets a new Hmong student. The teacher knew nothing about the culture he didn’t even
know how to spell Hmong. On the first day the boy spoke very little and wouldn’t even look the
teacher in the eye. It wasn’t until Lenny, the teacher, conducted much research that he learned
that in the Hmong culture children don’t look their elders in the eyes as a sign of respect. Had
Lenny not conducted all the research that he did he would have kept the misconception that this
child was being disrespectful or defiant by not looking the teacher in the eye.
By being familiar with my student’s culture I will be able to find ways to adjust my lessons so
that all of my students comprehend the subject being taught. An effective way to do this is by
doing a pre-assessment to find out my students’ prior knowledge. Whole classes pre-assessment
using white boards, think pair share followed by walk the walls or an artifact activity relating to
the upcoming unit will give me an idea of the students’ background knowledge of the subject.
Using this as a starting point I can build on it by finding ways to engage them in their learning
based on the results.
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Through my experience of working in an elementary school for eight years as a bilingual aide,
being a mother and now working in a middle school also as a bilingual aide I have come to the
conclusion that just as we all look different we also learn different. We don’t all learn at the
same pace. Just because children are the same age doesn’t mean that they are ready to learn the
same material and that they will all have a similar success rate. Many issues come to play when
it comes to children learning content. Some children have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)
others are Limited English Speakers and they all have various other issues that come in to play
when it comes to their learning in school. I might have a student who doesn’t have a home to go
to at the end of the day for whatever reason. Others might not have clean clothes to wear or even
the resources to take a shower. These are challenges that many children bring to school with
them and a teacher needs to be aware of all of this if he/she is to serve his/her students in the best
possible way.
Teaching may not be as easy as I might have once thought but as a teacher I need to
acknowledge that it isn’t always easy for the kids either. Many times the funds of knowledge
that the students possess are a mismatch with the knowledge required to be successful in school.
(Pugach, 2009) Funds of knowledge is “knowledge students and families possess from their own
cultural and community experiences that enables them to operate successfully in their own
cultures and communities but that often is a mismatch with knowledge required to be successful
in school and is often, therefore, devalued.” (Pugach, 2009) Good teachers shouldn’t judge
children for not learning, especially not when they haven’t taken the time to get to know the
students, their families and their communities. “It is what teachers do with the knowledge they
gain about their students’ lives in relationship to instruction that is important.” (Pugach, 2009)
Every day is learning experience for both the students and the teacher. Teaching is something
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that happens simultaneously between teachers and students. In order for teachers to create and
maintain an effective environment for student learning they need to learn from the students
themselves. The learning target will be provided by the students as the teacher teaches and
assesses students’ learning. Assessment doesn’t just happen prior to teaching a lesson or starting
a unit. It is an ongoing process that takes place on a daily basis. Formative assessment happens
in real time and it is context-specific with knowledge of the outcome goal in mind. When
assessment is done with observation immediate feedback can be given to students and the teacher
can make modifications accordingly if needed as well. It is a win-win situation for both the
teachers and students.
As I move farther along towards reaching my goal of becoming a teacher I have come up with
some teaching goals for myself. I have always been a motivated learner and I believe that is why
I am pursuing this career at my age. I want to spark student’s motivation to learn. I think of
students as a fireplace waiting to be started. My role as the teacher is to start the fire and
motivate students to continue to keep adding firewood into that fireplace so it doesn’t go out!
Teaching doesn’t stop when the fire has been started. As a teacher I plan to nurture their
learning motivation by providing scaffolding at their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The
Social Interaction Theory describes the ZPD as students being at a stage where they are able to
do their work with help. As the learning process continues the children reach the Zone of Actual
Development (ZAD), when they are able to do the work without help, and the process starts all
over again. At the ZPD I will be guiding my students in a way that they can comprehend what
they are being taught. I am very lucky to speak two languages and to have grown up in the
Mexican culture. These are two valuable tools that I keep very handy and treasure as I use them
continuously in my current job and plan to use them in my future career as a teacher.
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Having moved to the United States at age nine and not speaking a word of English I know
exactly how many of my past and future students feel. They can hardly believe that at one time I
didn’t speak the language and here I am teaching them now. Suddenly I become a role model for
them and they know that it is possible, que “Si se puede!” When a situation like this presents
itself in my future classroom, it will be another way of showing my students that my classroom is
a place for individual learning. The newcomer will need a whole lot of scaffolding for an
indefinite amount of time but my students will be accustomed to this because in my class I will
strive to make sure all of the students in my class succeed even when they learn at their own pace
and according to their abilities.
My teaching philosophy identifies with Progressivism. I believe in having “curriculum that
follows the interests and needs of the students.” (EDU 2 ppt. Butte College) This touches on my
belief that each child is unique and as such they should, and in my class, they will be allowed to
practice their creativity. Developing lessons that involve hands on activities, incorporating as
many senses as possible within a lesson, and building on students’ funds of knowledge will
enable me to reach out to all of my students. I have noticed through experience that gestures that
go along with words work really well with English Learners. Even when their English
vocabulary bank is poor most of the time they are able to remember the gesture and in a group
environment the word usually seems to follow even when it comes from another student. Role
playing is another activity that I hope to use in my classroom. Research has shown that students
stay on task and learn much more when they role play. Overall I plan to allow my students to
explore and show their creativity as we learn together.
Diversity is something else that I plan to explore with my students so that it can be practiced and
accepted in our classroom. I plan to do this by developing lessons involving guest visitors from
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a variety of backgrounds and/or abilities within our community and especially involving parents
or other family members as much as possible. This will allow us to explore diversity as a class
and learn to accept and appreciate our differences as they make us stronger. I remember the
pride and joy my son, second grade at the time, felt when my mother came into his class and
made corn tortillas with the children. She brought in her press and each child had a turn making
their own tortilla. My son even got to translate for his non-English speaking grandmother.
Experiences like these allow children to value and appreciate diversity.
Accepting and making diversity part of our way of life will provide a safe learning environment
for all students. This includes students with any type of special need whether it is physical or
emotional. If a child has a special need that I may not know how to care for appropriately I will
seek the help from colleagues or administration so that that child receives the equal opportunity
to education he/she deserves. Respect will also be an integral part of our classroom because as
Benito Juarez said, “El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz.” (Respecting the rights of others
brings peace).
The classroom management discipline that I plan to use will be focused around respect. I am
still undecided about which specific discipline to use. While doing research on Canter and
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model and reflecting on my current job position I can say that I use
many components of this model. I have practiced giving hints to students so that they can make
good choices. I have also stood by a student and touched his shoulder or head when he has been
talking out of turn and it has worked. At the lower elementary level, second grade, I observed
assertive discipline used a lot and obtaining positive results. I know that this discipline is not the
only one that focuses on behavior as a choice, positive reinforcement for desired behavior and
addressing the situation versus student character but these are the components that I like best
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about it and plan on implementing them in my future teaching profession. I enjoy and strive to
be unique so I can see myself taking the things I like best from each discipline and developing a
unique discipline from that.
I don’t plan on my acquisition of knowledge ending after I get my teaching credential. I know
teaching is learning in process because students aren’t the only ones learning in the classroom.
We teachers learn from them also. I plan on taking advantage of professional development
trainings that become available when and if I get a teaching job. Learning technology will also
be very beneficial in my professional development. Being technologically wise is essential in
this era for all professionals and teachers are not excluded by any means.
In conclusion my educational journey has been filled with so many experiences. I feel lucky to
have had so many wonderful teachers who have inspired me to continue with my goal of
teaching. They have empowered me with their encouragement and shared commonalities. Like
me, several have gone to school while raising a family. Because of this I also know que, “Si se
puede” and as I come closer to graduating my struggles, as a student, are gradually fading and
the rewards are becoming visible. Graduating itself will be a great reward but as a future
teacher I believe the real rewards will be when I see those “Aha” moments, in the children,
which Mr. Mota and so many others have shared in interviews I have conducted. Getting those
moments will be a challenge I’m sure but I feel that before children reach that point they need to
be allowed to make mistakes and then learn from them. If they are allowed to make mistakes
without being ridiculed then they can open their own doors without fear of making mistakes
because even if it is a mistake, they will learn from it. This can only be done when a teacher has
established a strong community of learners within the classroom through classroom
management. I define a community of learners as a second home where all students in the
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classroom feel safe to express and show their individuality, make mistakes without fear and grow
as an individual while building a larger fund of knowledge.
Thinking of this community of learners I plan to build within my classroom reminded me of the
metaphors for teaching that I identified with when I took Education 2 at Butte College. I saw
teaching as being a sailor and how the sailor doesn’t always get to where he/she is going because
the wind blows him/her in a different direction. Other times teaching is like climbing a hill, “A
constant process of ascending an incline.” Yet, “Every once in a while you stop, take a breather,
make sure everyone is comfortable, and then you start climbing again.”(Koch, 2012) The
teacher has to be aware of the needs of his/her students and know how to respond to them in
order help them be successful. When students succeed the teacher also succeeds.
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References
Cary, Stephen. (2007). Working with English Language Learners. (Second Edition).
Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Koch, J. (2012). Teach. (Student ed., pp. 4-21). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Pugach, M. (2009). Because teaching matters an introduction to the profession. (2 ed., pp. 210243). Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.