My students are a valuable part of class!  I read a list of five goals in a book by a man named Stevenson this semester  that I want my students to follow.  The list is as follows: “an intellectually reflective person, a person en route to a lifetime of meaningful work, a good citizen, a caring and ethical individual, and a healthy person.”  I am becoming a teacher to devote myself to America’s future.  I want to be a positive and encouraging influence on students.  I want them to come into my class and learn these five goals every day.  I think this will be one of my strengths; I feel like I can help my students accomplish these and other goals. I know we saw a lady teaching science up north that made her students pretty much her entire life. I know I don't want to do that, but I do want them to know I care for them and want them to be successful.

Three talents I will use to help my students accomplish these goals are creativity, enthusiasm, and devotion.  I learned a lot about creativity this semester. In the beginning of the semester, all of the EEEPs were a lot of fun, and I'd like to do them with my students. The creative part will also come in when we do lessons.  My students will be using lots of hands on materials to complete group inquiry activities.  I also plan on using my creativity in more eccentric ways like in class lectures and pep rallies/after school activities.  I plan on using my enthusiasm to convey my love for science and math.  I also plan on using my enthusiasm to make positive comments toward the students.  I want a room full of encouragement and positively-not just from me.  I will expect only beneficial comments from my students.  Hopefully, through my enthusiasm for my students and my creativity with lessons, they will know I have a true devotion to them.  They will know that I want them to succeed.  I plan on helping them succeed by using patients and direction-not increasing their learned helplessness. 

When my students are successful, I will have several positive reinforcements for them.  I love stickers, and I would like to put stickers on papers that receive high marks.  Papers that are well done will also be posted.  I would also like to create incentives toward behavior.  I think a Fun Friday activity would be nice to organize for the students who turn in all their assignments and behave during the week.  I think this would be a nice incentive for the students. I also think certificates like the one we got this semester for the clean air project are a good idea. My mom issues certificates when her kids dissect frogs, and I would like to incorporate something like that with my kids.

On the last day of school, I will know my program has been successful because my students will have learned math and science, not just facts.  I want my students to leave with some working knowledge of the subjects, not just a bunch of random information.  I picture my students leaving me on the last day of school and they are sad and happy.  They will be sad because the most exciting year of school is over and happy because it is summer break!

The three main beliefs that I will never abandon about middle school instruction are a believe that materials presented in the classroom should be relevant to students' lives outside the classroom, a belief that class lessons can be interesting and varying (not just lecture and note taking), and a belief that all students can learn if you take the time to find their angle.  Through my current experiences in school settings, the bulb that lights above a student’s head is my most proud moment.  I get so excited when one of my students say they really understand.  Even if it took three versions of the same story- it is worth it! I've always felt this way, but with the extra ammunition I learned this semester, I will be able to do more.

If learning is not occurring in my class, it bothers me.  When I substitute teach it bothers me when the teachers gives me stacks of busy work to assign to the students.  Most of the time I hear a lot of grumbles.  I understand that my students will grumble, but I do not want it to be because they are being overloaded with busywork.  I’d prefer that their grumbles be over my high expectations!  And the only way I can keep high expectations is to have support from my students, my team, parents, the community, and the administration.  To keep this support, I plan on keeping the lines of communication open.  I plan on writing parents to keep them updated about their child’s progress, having planning time with my fellow team members to keep the creativity flowing, and running plans by the administration.