Frank Jo Roster #14

EDU 202
03/28/2020

Philosophical portrait of myself

I always strived at school to do my best and get the best grades possible, I was the top

student in my high school mathematics’ class, and I always felt the responsibility to help others,

but I barely did, I thought it was tedious work, which required a lot of patience and

determination to actually help others and be successful at it. I spent most of my time playing

soccer and trying to have a good time until my daughter was born 4 years ago. At the age of 45 it

was hard to make a decision about either going forward with this new path or let my experience

in life determine the rejection of this challenge. I felt obligated to teach my daughter and show

her the path that might help her cruise though this life journey, consequently I felt a strong desire

and obligation to became a teacher.

During this class I learned how to listen, and how to express myself. I am still trying to

understand the “air hug” that the professor introduced to the class. I guess it means affection

towards the students. Besides that, I am feeling free to express myself during our discussions,

mostly about race. The importance of being a righteous teacher who will not leave behind

anyone based on their background, social class, race, culture, religion or beliefs. The exception

will be if a student doesn’t want to learn and is not cooperating, then I will take different

measures. I will try my best to integrate everyone in the class to be successful.

 As I am introduced to this profession trough this course, I am learning about the history

of education and how it evolved to this day, mostly about racism which is a big part of the

American history and culture. The school segregation is a reality.

I was born in New York, Brooklin, a foreign country to my parents who migrated from

South Korea, and at the age of two my parents migrated again to Argentina. I looked different

than all the kids because I am Asian but I didn’t notice segregation, I was the only Asian in the

private school I was going, except my sister. At the age of fifteen we moved back to the United

States. When I first attended high school in America, I felt the presence of segregation, but I tried

not to pay to much attention to it. I just wanted to graduate and move on. Even though I wasn’t

discriminated in this country like they did in the past towards, Asians, Latinos, and black, I

definitely noticed all the different races and cultures, specially the black Americans, something

that I didn’t see in Argentina. I believe that the resentment of the African American community

is still felt in some areas, for that reason we must co-exist; our past was sad; our present is

promising. This is why the United Sates is the best country in the world, we learn from the past

and continue to grow as a civilized society.

I was also able to express my ideas to the class through the discussions. The case study

was a good way to be in front of the class, narrating the story and expressing on how I felt about

the case study. In addition, I can use the terms I am learning, I can add them to clarify the ideas I

have, and to express them accurately. For example, the phrase “mainstreaming students with

disabilities”.

I thought the 10-hour observation assignment was going to be stressful and a waste of

time, but it turned out to be an excellent way to feel the water before diving in it, in regards to

this new career. As I was walking to the school, I was interested to see the school through the
eyes of a teacher. The job I had to do to make a living, or the job I had to do to make an impact

on the students, I guess both reasons. I also tried to picture myself as a teacher walking in to my

classroom, thinking that it could be a very exciting day. I also learn how the students behave

differently with different teachers.

What kind of teacher am I going to be? I guess I’ll just be myself, like if I was teaching

my daughter and trying to get my point across. When she was two years old, she tried to touch a

barbeque full of flames during a family gathering, I immediately had to grab her hand and

explained that by touching that flame she was going to feel pain and be extremely hurt, and I

didn’t know if she understood me, but she definitely felt that I was serious by looking at my

body expressions and the way I was talking to her, of course she is my daughter and I don’t want

her to get hurt. She knew that whatever she did was not good, so she stopped doing it. It wasn’t

her fault; she just didn’t know, and someone had to tell her. As pure as it sounds, that’s how I

intend to teach. I guess I want to be a progressive teacher, a friendly teacher who also let the

students make choices about their interests. A Perennialist teacher, a teacher who wants their

students to take the challenge and exceed the norm, not to be ahead of everyone else but to be

prepared for the future. I am very intrigued to know how I will feel to be a real teacher in high

school. Some of the questions I have are, Would I be respected? Would the students be able to

learn and be impacted? Will I get along with my coworkers? I guess I’ll find out later. My best-

case scenario and aspirations will be picturing myself as a respected teacher, displaying integrity,

and righteousness, someone who can relate to the students and speak their level of language if

they can’t understand mine, with the purpose of getting my point across.

These are very exciting times for me, my daughter is three years old and I am also

studying to become a teacher. I guess I am already a teacher to my daughter, and it’s my life
now. The reality of her being happy and learning new things are very rewarding to me, and that’s

how I want to feel with my students. I want to create a relationship based on trust and respect. I

would like the student to know that I will be there to assist with any concerns, or I can give

opinions. Guide these students when they don’t have anyone else who can give them advice, not

only the subject I am trying to teach, but any other matters as well. I want to be someone who

can impact the community.