How to Be A Great Teacher, From 12 Great Teachers

If you ask one hundred different people what being a great teacher means then you would probably have about one hundred different answers. I chose to read about Rodney Carey, a teacher in a rough neighborhood in New Orleans. The title was "Look for the Success Stories" and that really stuck out to me because an old mentor a long time ago taught me the same thing. She used to tell me that everyone had a success story, it was up to us as educators to help them find it. I think everyone has a success story, you've just got to dig deep and find it. I read this article and actually got teary eyed at the great work that this educator is doing. He's not just here for the money, he's here to make a difference and that is saying something. Carey gives his phone number out and offers rides and that's incredible because most teachers wouldn't dare.

I think that believing in your students and setting them up for success in any way you can is what makes you a great teacher. Carey had a rough life of his own and decided to make a difference and to try to help change the lives of those around him and to prevent them from making the same mistakes he did. I fell in love with this story because it kind of reminds me of Rita Pierson's "Every Child Needs a Champion" video. It's not just children, every BODY needs a champion. Someone they can count on to be there for them and to drag them out of the mess they create. Especially our students. They need us way more than we need them. I hope to be a difference maker. My favorite quote is the last paragraph in this article shared by Carey.

"I know that you cannot save everybody," he says. "But if one of them could just go along, complete his education, go to college, and I see him in the future doing something positive with his life, that makes me think that what I was doing is all worthwhile."

And I hope to be that for my students.

Rita Pierson: Every Kid Needs a Champion

I have seen this video at least four times and it just makes my heart so happy. I love Rita Pierson and I love the way she thinks. I hope to inspire and to create that sense of excitement that she did with her students. I know two teachers that inspired not only me but multiple students. Mrs. Spencer and Ms. Rogers were two of my teachers in high school that I had for multiple years. They inspired me everyday and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. They had my back whether it was a bad day or a bad week. Both of these teachers are heroes every day in my book. They got me through some rough times and inspired me to chase my dreams and become a teacher.

As a teacher, one of my goals is to create the same welcoming environment that Mrs. Spencer and Ms. Rogers created for me. They made me feel safe, welcomed, and loved each and every day and cheered me on when life was really knocking me down. I hope to be those things and more for my future students. During the video my favorite thing is when she says "I gave you a +2 because you didn't get them all wrong." That type of positivity can be the spark of something incredible in a students life. I work on being more and more positive each and every day so my future students will have me as a positive role model each and every day.

5 Things Every Educator Should Know about Digital Equity

I chose to talk about the article "How Digital Equity Can Help Close the Homework Gap". I loved how it said "Great teachers accomplish amazing things with this technology, guiding students to cognitive improvements and increased self-efficacy." I agree but I don't think you necessarily have to have technology to do these things and be a great teacher. The BYOD strategy makes me nervous and stresses me out a little to be honest, the reason being that some students parents may not let them or may not be able to afford to buy these devices and then it causes embarrassment for the child when they are stuck not having a device to do their assigned work on.

A recent study shows that more than 75% of teachers assign homework to their students that require the internet. Unless the teachers are giving them time to work on it during class then this again creates another problem because the students who do not have technology at home are at a disadvantage. I don't think it's fair for the student to be penalized over something they cannot control. This in turn causes the homework gap.

Growth Mindset Introduction: What it is? How it Works? and Why it matters?

Growth mindset. This is a crucial element in today's society. In the video they talk about two ways to think about learning: fixed mindset and growth mindset. I am a firm believer in growth mindset. I believe that the most important factor in achieving success and accomplishing our goals is to have a growth mindset, the mindset that you can always learn something new. I don't have any concerns as far as mindsets go because I have taught myself to have a growth mindset, to believe that you can always grow and develop.

I think growth mindset CAN foster grit, determination, and work ethic in students, athletes, and people. I think it's important to teach our students from the beginning to have that growth mindset and to always achieve to be life long learners. I think that's one of the most important parts of our jobs. I as a teacher am a life long learner and will always strive to learn something new, I also strive to teach my students to be the same way, which is why I loved this video and learning more about having a growth mindset.

Changing Education Paradigms by Ken Robinson

After watching this video I agree with Kenneth Robinson. I believe that schools and education was designed for a different age. I believe that we are at a different point and a different generation so therefore we should alter and adjust what we do, how we do it, and what we teach. The two pillars, economic and intellectual pillars are very important in public education and therefore we must base the things we do off of those but in the right ways.

I think schools do tend to kill creativity. They tend to take a child and tell them that being a child is wrong, creating is wrong, and using their imaginations/ minds is wrong. If I could change one thing in the educational system it would be that we would teach our teachers to be more than just a teacher of information. As a teacher, majority of the time the students look up to you. They think you're the coolest person in the world. I would choose to teach teachers how to be more encouraging and to build our students up rather than to tear them down. Every student needs that person in their life that is for them. I want teachers to be those people. I hope to be like that as a teacher.