Hello everyone and welcome to my very first blog post! To kick off this experience, I thought I should share how I got here and why I decided to pursue a career in teaching.
Growing up, my sisters and I were really close. While we were close with eachother, we were also really close to my aunt. My aunt was always playing with us, crafting with us, and acting as the teacher. She was like another big sister to me. She went to Millersville as well and became a kindergarten teacher. She has now moved on to be a principle. She has been such a huge inspiration to me throughout my life. I admire her compassion, creativity, ambition and love for children. She is fun-loving and always strives to do her very best for the people in her life. This goes for her family as well as for all of the students in her school. The truth is, she doesn’t sleep much (: However, if being as great as she is requires no sleep, I’ll just be tired.
Throughout my education thus far, I have learned about SO many different theorists and pedagogies. Although it is sometimes hard to keep them all straight, a few of them have really stuck with me and shaped my own pedagogy. My number one has to be Maria Montessori. Who doesn’t love her? Her love for children and the way she prioritized play of all kinds are two things that will stay with me throughout my entire career. The nurture over nature viewpoint is something her and I strongly agree upon. These are things that will shape me and help me be the best teacher I can be.
In addition to Montessori, Vygotsky is another theorist who I find to be brilliant. He was one of the first theorists to understand and bring forth the idea that children are born with amazing mental capacities. He knew that it is not the job of the teacher to fill their minds with knowledge, but to build on what they already know and help them make connections to their schooling and the world around them. This is something I will strive to do in my career.
As far as the why and the how of teaching, I owe it all to my professors and the teachers I have shadowed in the field for the past four years. From my high school shadowing experiences to this semester’s placement, I have gained so much insight. Not only have I learned so much about theorists, technologies and teaching strategies, but I have also learned so much from their stories and experiences. I have been lucky enough to have the greatest professors and a diverse array of co-operating teachers. These are the people that speak the truth to me.
My elders are not the only ones that guide and shape me. I have met some incredible people at Millersville who share the same aspirations as me: my peers. We all have gone through similar experiences and have shared the same struggles. I know that I will always have people to turn to when I am stuck, unsure, or in need of some guidance.
I was afraid of the challenges of college and the intimidation of choosing a major. However, over the years, I have learned so much and met so many people who make it all a lot less scary. I am confident in my abilities and cannot wait to share all that I have and all that I am with children and their families.