I WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE – WILL YOU?

Image via Wikipedia

I have been focusing more on general education than special education lately, because we are all teachers first and our specialty second.  I sometime think that we as teachers forget that. 

When asked what we teach, we answer “I teach English, I teach History, I teach Math” and so on instead of the correct answer which is “I teach kids OR I teach my students…”

We all get wrapped up in our classroom subjects that sometimes (often?) we forget the reason that we are in those classrooms.  It is only because there are students there that we need to teach, they are not there because we grace them with our presence.

I believe that we need to re-focus locally and nationally on the needs of the students. Not on the needs of special interest groups, those that have money or those who think that because they were in school – they have the solution to how to teach in the classroom.  We need to focus on the actual needs of our students, which may be completely different than what or how we are allowed to teach.

It has to start with the teachers.  We have to show we are professionals in our field and experts at what we do.  We must be become continuous and effective learners, who do not sit on our laurels.  We have to embrace the future, change how we teach in the classroom, learn how to effectively use technology in the classroom, become more innovative and push our students to “think”, not just regurgitate “information”, while not being ruled by the standardized test, latest fad or new shiny toy.

Each student has strengths and weaknesses and we have to teach to their strengths whenever possible.  We have to push students to do more than they think they can. Instead of accepting their mediocrity which happens all too often in the classroom – it is simply easier for the teacher.

I still say Taylor Mali’s YouTube Video is still pretty appropriate

I am a teacher and I will make a difference – will you?  Am I challenging you – you bet I am, but I am also challenging myself to do more and be a better teacher.

Remember it is about the kids – not you or me.