My hopes for pre-student teaching

Today marks the completion of my first week in the classroom, and I have to say that I am more convinced than ever that teaching is the right profession for me. I am absolutely in love with my school, the students, and pretty much everything else I've encountered in my short time as a "pre-student teacher." I already feel comfortable in my new position, and everyone I have met so far has been very encouraging and welcoming.

Currently, I'm working on learning students' names, which is very important to me. While this may seem like a simple goal, I have been in a lot of classes where the teachers still struggle with the names of certain students. I think that knowing every student by name is of extreme importance, because it shows the students that you care enough to at least know their names, and allows you to interact with the students on a more personal level. I know that I would consider it disrespectful if someone I saw on a daily basis did not know my name, and I think showing students that I think they are important as people lays a good groundwork for a mutual respect.

Developing a solid basis for the teacher I want to become is another goal I have for this semester. While the past three years of classes and involvement in WSU's teaching program has helped me gather a wide variety of ideas about teaching, I hope that the amount of time I spend in the class room this year will help me cultivate a strong sense of who I am as a teacher. I already have a ton of ideas for things I would like to do, but this year I hope to really settle into a teaching style, and begin setting up a solid plan for how I want my classroom to run. I know that working with an experienced teacher will help me do this, and I plan to have my CT help me as much as he can!

Above anything, my main goal is to find exciting ways to share my love of English with my students. I know that not all of my students will come into the classroom with my same feelings about English, but I hope to find ways to show students that reading and writing can be fun and beneficial. I know that working in an English classroom will help me find ways to do this, and I look forward to learning all that I can!