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I remember the first time the idea of being an educator crossed my mind, I was in sixth

grade. Back then my goal was to be like the models I had in front of me everyday. Twenty years later, I still think of all the wonderful ways these teachers inspired me to want to be just like them. I took three years off to stay at home with my twins, three years ago I decided to return to teaching because I longed to be educating children. Once I was in my new position I found that within the three years I was out of education, the world of education transformed. I felt my only way to gain more insight and become a highly effective teacher was to obtain my masters degree, which began my journey at the University of New England. My experience has offered me several opportunities to become a stronger teacher within my classroom. One of the ways in which I have improved my teaching and better supported my students is through motivation within the classroom. I researched ways to best support struggling readers and more specifically boys within the classroom. The information gained from this research has created an environment where students want to show their best work and reach personal goals set for themselves within the classroom. Authors of the text, Classroom Motivation, Eric Anderman and Lynley Anderman, discuss while teachers are interacting with students they influence them to believe in themselves. Teachers help create goals and students reflect on areas that are successful for them as well as places they struggle. Students ultimately decide to do their academic work and achieve their goals (Anderman & Anderman, 2010, p.2). Motivating students to be life long learners, creating opportunities for them to be successful and work through any problems they come up against is the focus of my classroom. Another way in which I have improved my teaching is by creating more opportunities for students to learn by using differentiated instruction. Using differentiated meet the needs of all the

students within my classroom. Differentiating instruction also works hand in hand with motivation and creating successful places within a students academics. When the teacher uses differentiated instruction it is their way of identifying the right tool to teach each student with, just as a chef has to pick the right tool to cook with. I have learned through this process that without using a variety of tools and differentiating instruction I am not creating opportunities where all students can learn to the best of their abilities. My experience at the University of New England has given me the skills to meet the needs of all my students in every area I teach. My expertise in literacy has deepened and has been enhanced by the technology and specific reading and writing strategies I have been given. I was reminded of the importance of collaborating and supporting one another throughout the program. Through my journey there has been one quote that has stuck with me since the day I have read it and will forever stick with with through my educating career. This author of this quote is a young girl named Kathleen. Push me! See how far I go! Work me til I drop. Then pick me up. Open a door, and then make me run to it before it closes. Teach me so that I might learn, Then let me enter the tunnel of experience alone. And when, near the end, I turn to see you beginning anothers

journey, I shall smile. (Tomlinson, 2001, p.97).

References: Anderman, E. M. & Anderman, L. H. (2010). Classroom Motivation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How To Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.