“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

” 
-Theodore Roosevelt 
 
As I am ending my time as a student, I have been reflecting on the variety of experiences I have 
had that shaped me into the teacher I am today. I’ve had the opportunities to learn about many different 
theories behind teaching and all the different parts that go into educating students, but found that I 
learned the most about myself as a teacher when I was in the classroom, working with students, being 
able to apply all the skills I had learned and prepared. I grew in many different areas, and my passion for 
teaching grew with it each day.  
 
I find a lot of truth in the quote by Theodore Roosevelt above, and feel that it embodies what I 
believe is a foundational element in my work as an educator, relationships. I believe that there is high 
importance in building positive student-teacher relationships, starting on the very first day of school. 
During my time in the classroom, I built great relationships with all of my students, which ultimately 
created a positive and safe learning environment where each learner was able to express themselves 
comfortably and appropriately. My role as a teacher, to support optimal learning, will be to adjust my 
lessons to the uniqueness of each child’s ability and needs, but to also challenge the children to reach 
their goals. Developing close relationships with my students will create a less chaotic and stable 
environment. It will also raise the self-esteem of my students to speak out and feel safe while doing it. 
Having relationships with my students will allow my classroom community to grow and thrive. I will 
construct an inviting and creative environment to make a difference in my students’ lives and positively 
impact their futures. I want my students to feel excited about school and coming to class. I will embrace 
my sense of purpose to strive to inspire change in the generations to come.  
 
Along with building positive student-teacher relationships, I also believe that it is very important 
to build strong relationships with the parents or guardians of my students. Parents and guardians play a 
huge role in their child’s education. Having strong and often communication with parents will help me 
build these relationships and get to know them better. Through getting to know the parents, they will 
also help me get to know my students on a more personal level. In my classroom, I will keep the parents 
updated with what is happening, hopefully being able to have them get involved, volunteer and/or assist at 
home. Having the guardians get involved with their child’s education provides large benefits for the 
student. It is important that the students know that not only I, but their parents take pride in them and 
their work. I also want to invite members of the community into my classroom for special visits, lessons 
and presentations. I would love to be able to connect these special visits to a unit the students are 
working on in my classroom as well. In my field experiences and student teaching, my learners always 
enjoyed having special visitors and parents come into the classroom.  
 
Relationships built between the principal and teacher are vital to the schools climate. When the 
staff members build good relationships with their principal, they also build a mutual respect between 
everyone in the school building. Teachers and staff members need to believe and trust the abilities of 
their district's administration. In contrast, principals need to have respect and offer opportunities for 
positive growth for teachers and what they are practicing in their classrooms as well. Together, we can all 
do what is best for the learners in the classroom! When this positive relationship is formed, the climate of 
the school will benefit from it. I want to be a part of a school district that has a welcoming climate to 
everyone who enters the building and shows that they care. It is important for every staff member to be 
able to work together to best support all of the students.  
 When I was younger I often wondered why I could remember every lyric in a song, but I couldn’t 
remember my multiplication facts. I quickly learned that by adding a tune or hum to practicing my 
multiplication facts, that I remembered them easier and faster. I have been an active choir member 
starting in the fourth grade until I was twenty years old in college. I would like to use music to help with 
transitions in class and to use as a comprehensive tool while also exercising memorization of various 
subjects. Acronyms to help children learn how to spell words are another method of teaching I will use: 
for example, spelling the word “because” could be learned by using the acronym “big elephants can’t 
always use small exits.” I will also use the “turn and talk” method as a teacher in my classroom. Pairing 
students for activities will provide them with the opportunity to learn how to think critically among their 
peers and listen to other ideas, forming a broader way of thinking. No two students learn the same way at 
the same rate, which makes me believe that it is important to teach in many different styles with several 
different methods so that all of my students are able to learn and reach their maximum potential. I want 
my classroom to be hands-on, engaging, and interactive. I think it is important that the curriculum I use 
in my classroom applies to the backgrounds and lives of all my learners. By incorporating my students’ 
lives into their learning, my lessons will be more authentic and engaging for the young minds in my 
classroom. 
 
I want to positively encourage my students to achieve goals and excel in my classroom in their 
own ways. Being knowledgeable of the content standards and having an understanding of what the 
students need to comprehend in each section will give me the tools to teach them in appropriate ways. I 
will also be able to teach my students how to solve given problems in a variety of methods. For example, 
there are multiple different ways of teaching a child how to multiply and divide. By showing my students 
these different perspectives on solving, they will be able to make connections between those methods and 
therefore further understand their “but why?” questions. I will also incorporate my knowledge of 
technology into my classroom. I am experienced with technology and would like to incorporate videos 
into my teaching and lessons to get my students engaged. 
 
From the first day in the classroom, it is my responsibility to scaffold and model the behaviors 
and expectations for my students. I want to have my students help create the classroom expectations and 
rules for the year. They will then take ownership of these expectations and will be more likely to follow 
them and hold each other accountable to them. Along with creating the rules, I believe that the students 
should also create their own consequences based on the severity of the situation or behavior. Following 
through with the rules and consequences is important to help students understand that they are essential 
and comprehend what is acceptable and what is not. Classroom management is a crucial aspect of 
creating a smooth and productive learning environment.  
 
Throughout my teaching journeys, I have learned many theories and strategies that have shaped 
me into the educator that I am today. I am very excited to continue expanding my knowledge about new 
topics in education and children’s needs. My hopes are that by teaching in an elementary classroom, I will 
be opening the door to shaping tomorrow’s movers and shakers of the world!