A teacher is not only someone who teaches a specific topic: a teacher is also a mentor and

provides a safe environment for a student to feel comfortable coming to, seeking help with many
different struggles. That is the kind of teacher I aspire to be. I plan to bring a warm environment
into my classroom. I am a very caring and fun person and my students will feel welcomed and
comfortable in the classroom but there will be guidelines and the students will agree and abide
by those rules but I will be there to facilitate the environment and learn alongside my students.
The biggest gift we can give our students is an education that is student-centered. In order for
students to learn, they must be involved in their own education and have a say in what they are
learning and how they learn and demonstrate that learning. The best learning happens when it is
cooperative and collaborative in nature, letting students learn from each other and become more
actively engaged in their learning. I plan to take into account my students’ interests and learning
styles as I teach, as well as provide students with multiple means of demonstrating their learning.
In practicum, I got to know my students, I got to know some of their struggles, I learned
how to analyze their nonverbal language. I had students who did not enjoy being in music class
and by the end of my time with my students I felt that I changed how they felt about it. I had a
student who consistently disrupted class and did not raise his hand when speaking and rarely
paid attention. I asked this student to stay after class one day and I spoke with him about how I
could be a better teacher for him. I told him that I knew he was a smart and respectful kid and I
wanted to help him if he needed it. He was calm and said you are a good teacher, I’m sorry for
talking all the time. After that, he was more engaged, he was respectful to other students and to
me as the teacher. It is important to me that the student knows that I care about them and that I
recognize that they are good kids because some students do not have that kind of support in their
lives.
I have a very maternal and caring character. I consider myself adaptable, enthusiastic,
direct, humble, and reasonable. While I do not let people walk all over me, I like to focus on
what makes the people around me happy and I care about the wellbeing of any person that I
come into contact with. Along with that, I feel that my strongest disposition is Sensitivity to
Diversity and Equity, reason being, I advocate heavily on the acceptance of diversity. I feel
strongly about having an inclusive classroom and allowing all students to get the education that
they deserve. I can provide the education my students will need because I can read music well
and play some of the instruments they are handling. I can also diagnose any issues with the
instruments and know how to fix them. Primarily I am a voice major and one of my strengths is
being able to help young singers strengthen their voice and know how to sing in a healthy
manner. Academically, I have an inclination toward Classical and Romantic music, being a vocal
major, that is fairly common, but I study what the “norm” is in different ensembles like band and
orchestra as well.
The role of teachers in the future will hopefully be to prepare students for their future. By
having students be hands on with their society and directly engaged in their community they will
develop a strong understanding of their surroundings. I feel that this philosophy will be the basis
of our educational systems. Students are diverse learners and I believe that they deserve to have a
hands on environment and have the opportunity to choose their own project to be assessed on,
showcasing the students strengths.
Students are the future of our communities and deserve to be in an environment that
allows them to learn in their own way. Some students are visual, or auditory, or kinesthetic
learners. Providing multiple means of learning will help reach a larger percentage of students.