Sofia Cid

Vision Statement
When I read, Educating Esme: Diary of a Teachers First Year, by
Esme Raji Codell, it was the first book I had read about my chosen field of
education. I was able to vicariously experience some of the situations and
events of a first year teacher. It opened my mind to thinking about what I
expected of myself and my students, how I would teach and, how I wanted
my students to learn. I learned that I expect to be the kind of teacher who is
flexible and open minded and who can use those qualities to model to her
students how to do the same.
"Even if I fail, I have to try and try. It may be exhausting, but that is
beside the point. The goal is not necessarily to succeed but to keep trying, to
be the kind of person who has ideas and see them through, (Codell, pg. 8).
This quote is one that I highlighted because it expressed my feelings about
my own learning process and my expectations for my future students
learning process. I believe I am an educator now, because I was first a
learner. Throughout my days as a student, it was always important to me to
show my effort in trying to solve a problem, complete a task, or master a
new skill, even if I initially failed. What mattered to me was that my teacher
would still be able to see I had tried my hardest and then, help me. My
expectations are for my students to suspend their judgments about what
they believe they can do and give every lesson a try. As long as they give it
their best effort, I know I can guide them through their struggles.
Additionally, what I have found from working with students of all ages is that
it is much easier to guide a student in learning a new skill if they are willing
to be led, which is why effort is more important to me initially than
succeeding.
As a paraprofessional, I have had the opportunity to work with a
variety of students from pre-K to high school. In my experience, it appears
that many students struggle with acceptance of others ideas, beliefs,
personalities, and appearances, especially in the older grades. In my
classroom, I expect a high level of respect and tolerance for all students.
Because I believe there is value in my own opinions and beliefs, I also
acknowledge the value in others opinions and beliefs, even if they are
different than my own. This relates to the third Texas Teacher Proficiency
because, as an educator, I plan on showing all my students that I respect
their opinions and, I want them to respect their peers. If, as teachers, we
are to lead by example, this is a way for me to address tolerance in my
classroom. Not only will this help students in communicating with each other,
but also it will help provide a peaceful, welcoming environment where my
students will feel free to express their opinions.
Also, I want my students to be good learners not good students and to
understand the difference between the two. Marina Olson describes, [good]

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students often seek good grades at the lowest possible cost, (Olson, para.
4). The common phrase, work smarter, not harder, comes to mind. To me,
a good student, does the work because she knows she has to and because
she wants to get a grade for it. A good student would read only because it is
assigned, not because she wants to gain knowledge. A good student would
finish the task at hand as quickly as possible so that she could move to
something she enjoys. On the other hand, a good learner understands that
there is purpose in reading the assigned books. Even if she is not quite sure
what that purpose is initially, she seeks to find it and make meaning from it.
A good learner knows that she has to finish the task at hand but takes her
time to make sure she is learning. And, if a good learner cannot solve a
problem on her own, she does not quit. That is how students can learn more
and continue being good learners, by working out solutions from their own
independent work, or from collaborating and being open to receiving help.
Furthermore, a good learner would know to keep looking for ways to solve
the problem or to seek help if needed.
Along with being a good learners not good students, I expect my
students to be able to think on their own. My classroom vision is one in
which creativity merges with cooperation and communication. I do not see
myself as the type of teacher to simply stand in the middle of class and fill
my students brains with facts and information that they will simply be asked
to regurgitate on a test. I see myself as the kind of teacher who will
encourage my students to voice their own opinions and, accept each others
opinions, and to be creative. The only way to share these ideas and opinions
with each other is to first, come up with those ideas individually, from their
own experiences and knowledge and then, communicate.
To bring all of these essential qualities together, I will encourage
learning in my classroom to be interactive, dynamic and most importantly,
cooperative. Cooperative learning outperforms competitive and
individualistic learning structures across all age levels, subject areas, and
almost all tasks, (Kagan pg. 3.3). In order to encourage cooperative
learning, I will assume the responsibility in providing the adequate lessons
and activities to boost student interactions in group work and projects. While
this kind of learning helps individual effort, individual thinking, accepting
opposing opinions, beliefs, and communication, it will also be my
responsibility to teach my students how to learn cooperatively by holding
them accountable for their own work. I want my students to be able to work
together, tolerate each others differences, communicate effectively, and be
good learners. Good learners can keep on learning on their own just as well
as they would learn with others.
Perhaps, someday I will be able to read Codells book again and relate
more to it after my first year of teaching. I can use what I learned from my

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teaching experience and what I learned from her book as a guide to keep
myself on track. I am sure every new school year will bring changes, but as
a flexible and open minded teacher, I will have enough experience then to
deal with those issues and help my students grow.

Sofia Cid

Works Cited
Codell, Esme. Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year. Chapel Hill,
N.C.: Algonquin of Chapel Hill, 1999. 8. Print.
Earner. Learner -Centered Schools for Texas (n.d.): n. pag. Web.3
Nov.2015.
https://www4.esc13.net/uploads/pdas/docs/LearnerCenteredSchools.
pdf
Olson, Marina. "Are We Training Good Students or Good Learners?" The
American Conservative. 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/2013/09/25/are-we-training
good-students-or-good-learners/
Kagan, Spencer & Kagan, Miguel. (2009). Kagan Cooperative Learning. San
Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing