Running Head: Vision Statement

Vision Statement

EDUC 3320

Dr.Pearce

November 3, 2019

Johnathan Leonard
Running Head: Vision Statement

Vision Statement

As teachers, or pre-service teachers, we are the person students look forward to seeing

every day, or who they dread learning from every hour they are in a classroom. A teacher should

be someone a student looks up to and someone they will be comfortable confiding in when

something isn’t going their way. In many aspects, a teacher could be an alternative to a parent, as

far as life instructions are concerned.

What skills should a teacher have? A teacher should have many skills, but the ones that

stand out are communication, patience, organization, adaptability, and compassion.

Communication can be more than language. Good communication is not just talking but can be

used for understanding the students as well. When communicating with students, you have to

know where they are coming from. As teachers, we are trying to communicate an attitude and

environment of learning that students can take with them through school as well as life. This will

take patience and understanding from teachers. Patience is key, due to some of the students we

will be encountering. Many students come from different cultural backgrounds, have language

barriers, or socioeconomic issues that we will need to learn to work around, and be patient with.

Along with patience, teachers need to be organized. “Organization is key; how our classroom

runs is evident of how our students learn,” (Jensen, 2005) Having great classroom management,

structurally and academically, is key to a great learning atmosphere. Within a great learning

atmosphere comes great adaptations with the type of students we teach. Adapting on the fly is

something all teachers must know how to do. Teachers may have an assignment that aligns with

the TEKS down to every word, but it might not align with student interaction and learning. This
Running Head: Vision Statement

would mean the teacher might need to tweak the lesson to meet the TEKS standards, but adjust

the lesson to fit the mood of that day. Last, but not least, is teachers should have the skill of

compassion . We as teachers need to be compassionate with our students because many of them

may not retain information or learning material the same as others.

“Import elements of the student-centered classroom include open-ended discussions,

group projects and activities, and up to date technology that both students and teachers know

how to use,” (Ragan & Kagan, 2009) Whichever group of students we have, we as teachers

need to try to implement all of these areas in our classrooms and use them to our advantage.

These elements of the student- centered classrooms are important because they get students

engaged in learning. They are also key elements that we should include in every cooperative

learning classroom. When we implement cooperative learning, the students don’t feel as if

they’re being “told what to do” as much as using the assignment to work in their favor.

My vision for teaching and learning is to create an environment with a love for learning.

One of the main ways we can do this is by trying to build bonds with students and interacting

with them on a personal level. When you build bonds with the students, they will become more

open to what you are trying to teach and instill in them. Another way to do this is by actually

showing the students how and why it is important to have a love for learning. When they see this

and notice our actions are real. They notice this and will follow suit because of what they know

a teacher is supposed to do.

In conclusion, teachers must be one of those guiding factors outside of the home that

students look forward to seeing and learning. It is not just a matter of teaching academics, but

those life lessons as well. As teachers and educators, we need to be the ones that help childrens’
Running Head: Vision Statement

brains develop and change in a more positive way. A teacher can be, and should be, the positive

interaction that a student needs to create a mindset of wanting to be great in life through

academics, relationships, and a love for learning. Teachers can enforce this love for learning by

showing the students compassion through speech and actions throughout the classroom.
Running Head: Vision Statement

References

Jensen, Eric. (2005) Teaching with the brain in mind (2nd Ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development(ASCD).

Kagan, Dr. Spencer; Kagan, Miguel. (2009) Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan

Publishing.