Educators demonstrate a broad knowledge base and an understanding of areas they teach.
At this point in which I am writing my personalized reflection for this Standard I am sitting between Blocks 4 and 5 of the program, and as the end of the program grows closer I find myself reflecting quite a lot about how what I have learned in my courses will be applied to the classroom. I feel like this block in particular has given me a greater sense of expertise and confidence in my ability to teach my students new knowledge from a strong foundation that I have built with the materials taught to me.
This feeling of confidence in my ability to teach content with the tools and resources that have been given to me is incredible. All of my fears and worries that have followed me since the beginning of the program have finally begun to melt away, leaving room for myself to wrap my head around the fact that in only a few fast months I will be working in the professional field that I have been studying so diligently.
As an educator, it is vital to be able to demonstrate a broad knowledge base and understanding of the areas that we teach because if we do not believe what we are teaching, or show to our students that we are passionate about the content, then they will wonder why they have to learn it at all. Or worse yet, they will feel that they have been provided with an inadequate education because the topic that they are interested in, or the content that they excel at was glossed over by their teacher. It will be my own responsibility to ensure that my students are engaged, excited, passionate, and interested in the content that they are absorbing in the classroom, and the first step that I can take in ensuring that is to make sure that I know what I am talking about.
This most recent block of the program was very content heavy, and given that the last 6 weeks of the program were entirely dedicated to content without the distraction of practicum really enabled me to solidify my foundation of learning and form the building blocks for new knowledge. For example, not only have I obtained resources and tools for teaching a second language, but I have also learned and understood why it is so imperative that my students experience other languages and the culture that comes along with it. And, because I know the method behind the madness, I can more firmly believe in the curriculum, outside resources, and even my own thoughts and feelings surrounding the learning that is taking place in my classroom.
Needless to say, this past block of the program has been pivotal for me regarding Professional Standard 6. For my next steps, I will have a foundation to rely on when lesson planning and implementing activities, and I most look forward to being able to be more enthusiastic with my teaching because I will be feeling more confident and excited with my own teaching strategies.