Katarra Waldron

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
- Nelson Mandela

The quote above does a good job of encompassing what I believe about teaching and

education into one quick sentence. The reason that I went into education is that I truly believe

that it is one of the only effective ways to change the world. Without getting into the semantics

of things, I happen to be a person who believes that this world needs a lot of change and that is

why I feel it in my heart and soul to inspire young people to do just that.

My goal is for all of my students to feel inspired when they are in my classroom. I want

each and every one of them to feel as if the world is their oyster, as cliche as that sounds. The

role of my students in the classroom is for them to be an explorer. I want them to be curious, ask

questions, and make discoveries daily. I want my class to be a place that my students feel that

learning has no limit and that their exploration can lead them to new heights. Obviously, my

students have to learn the content that is set by state standards and guidelines, but I want to go

beyond that. Not only do I want my students to learn things that they need to learn, but I want

them to learn about things that they are interested in as well. I want to incorporate my students’

interests in everything we do and the number one way to do that is to form relationships with

students to learn about what they like.

Diversity is something that I also want to highlight in my classroom. Every student is

different in one way or another whether it be their cultural background, the way they learn, or

even something as simple as the things they like to do. In my classroom, I want to foster a sense

of a loving community where all students and all learners are universally accepted and nobody is

left out. Team building activities and group work is one way to foster a sense of community. I
would also love to highlight different cultures by having days where families can come in and

talk about their cultures to educate the other students about how they are different and similar.

As a professional, I will always be learning, changing, and growing. I strive to learn as

much as I can about the things that will not only help me to become a better teacher but to help

my students succeed in the classroom. Attending professional development and even doing

research on my own are ways that I plan to grow as a professional. I want to learn something

new every day that will benefit my students, even if it something small.