DISCUSSION QUESTION #2: Within your subject matter, what are you passionate
about teaching?
Within your profession,
what are you passionate about?
Completely outside of your profession, what are you passionate about?
Reply to two others.
My undergraduate degree is in English. Within that field I am passionate about the classics, especially Greek and Roman Literature. There is something about allegory and tragic heroes that has always inspired me.
ReplyDeleteWithin my profession, I am passionate about aiding students in seeing their own potential. The "a-ha" moment is fantastic, but, to me, the moment where the student can say, "I did it!" is the best. Not only can they understand it, but they can confidently do it on their own.
Outside of my profession, I am passionate about my loves: my family, my friends, my husband, my dogs, and my growing baby girl. There is not a day that goes by where I don't incorporate them into a story I tell and I think of them every day. No matter what happens in life, they are the ones I turn to and vice versa.
Courtney, I get your passion and love for the people in your life. I am with you girl. I too use my life experiences with my family in my daily teaching. Students love to hear stories, they realized we are human. LOL
DeleteIt tickles me when students are amazed that I have a life outside of school!
DeleteI completely agree with you! That "a-ha" moment is amazing and it is what keeps me going. It is why we all do what we do. It makes the challenging days totally worthwhile! :)
DeleteI am a literature nut. My favorites to teach are historical fiction and adventure. I love when my students make a 180 degree turn from whining about a book to absolutely loving it.
DeleteI love to see students outside of school and they look at you like you are only to be at school not out having a life
DeleteMy passion for Reading is what I live for. I love to teach it and find books that can bring the book to life for my students. I was a Reading Specialist for 7 years and lived books and the skills I taught. I loved seeing the light bulb come on when the students understood a concept or figured out the skill. The best part is when they realize they can read!
ReplyDeleteWithin my profession, I am passionate about giving the students the skills and tools to learn skills and concepts. I love to find new and innovative ways to get what they need to learn. The best is when they GOT IT and the belief in themselves is all worth it!!!!
My world revolves around my family. I have 4 grown children and 3 grandchildren that are also grown and off on their own, they bring such joy to my life. My husband and I have had to learn to reconnect and find new life with each other. I thank God for all my family!
Chris, I enjoyed reading your post. Wow! We have so many things in common. I too taught reading before moving back over to special ed. I'm also a reading specialist, which really comes in handy as a high school interrelated teacher. My 3 kids are grown with children of their own, 5 grand kids ages 2-16. Empty nesting is certainly a whole new journey in life!
DeleteI agree with you Chris...it is so important that we give kids the tools and skills to be successful. When they finally do get it, it is such an amazing thing to watch!! :)
DeleteThat is the best feeling is when they GOT IT, even finding the the little victories and building on to those is a good feeling. I also find it great that they can remember concepts years later and you can say "I taught him that!'
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ReplyDeleteMy degree is in Elementary Education with a Cross Categorical SPED. My true love is working with the little ones. When I started out for HPEC I was a gifted facilitator so I worked with all of the grades in all 3 of the buildings. After 5 years I was ready to go back to having a classroom and working with kids more one on one daily. I knew in my heart I wanted to be with the younger kids. Partially because when they are 5 and 6 they still think you hung the moon and that there isn’t anything you do that is cheesy.
ReplyDeleteWithin my profession I love the challenge that my more severe students bring to the table. I love problem solving and trying new things to find a way to work with them. I LOVE seeing them grow and become more independent and showing teacher/parents what they truly are capable of doing. I do not like for them to be held back and made helpless and needy I want them to grow and find their place in life no matter how severe they are. It takes a lot of hard work and stress some days but in the end it is always worth it!
Outside of school I am passionate about my 2 kids. They are my whole world. They are getting to the age of becoming their own unique personalities with their sports and personalities and my days are never dull with them.
Seeing the lightbulb go off in a child's head is what keeps me going! They weren't able to do it yesterday but today it's not a problem. I also believe in keeping students from the learned helplessness. No matter the severity, there is something they are able to do independently and maybe even should be able to do independently.
DeleteI also enjoy working with the little ones. They soak in everything you say and want to learn about everything. I think it is important to make a difference at a young age. If we wait to long, it seems like it is way more difficult to reach the children.
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only teacher who likes to do "cheesy" things. I enjoy my job so much more when you can incorporate a little fun and silly into the things you teach. I think the kids remember those lessons a lot more, too!
DeleteI agree that it is all worth it. It is very stressful most days, but the little accomplishments are awesome.
DeleteHang in there Shelli! That is one thing I particularly like about the book is the fact that the activities the author suggests reminds us to have fun at work. We aren't just doing different activities for the kids -- we do them so we stay engaged too.
DeleteWithin my subject matter, I am SUPER passionate about teaching high school students to be more effective readers. I am even more passionate about teaching struggling readers HOW-TO read. After all, as a high school teacher, if I don't pass those skills on to them, who will?
ReplyDeleteWithin my profession I am passionate about helping kids to discover their abilities and how they can live up to their full potential. It breaks my heart when students come to me with the attitude of, as one of my former students used to say, "A kid like me," won't ever amount to much. My response is a resounding, YES YOU WILL! So stop being down on yourself and reach for the stars! It is my job to help you get there, and by golly you better fasten your seatbelt because when you get assigned to me you are going to be in for one heck of a ride.
Outside my profession, I am passionate about my family. Don't even get me started talking about my 5 grand kids.
That breaks my heart to hear of students that think that way! I think a lot of it is that they haven't really been able to explore THEIR passions or link it to learning. Thank you for working on that with your high schoolers!!
DeleteWhoooooo. God bless you for doing high school!! It definitely takes a special person! I especially love your comment about who will teach them to read! For most, you're their last chance to discover a passion for learning. Go you!
DeleteThe student who used that phrase has graduated now and is such a different person than when he first came to high school. During his freshman year, he used to frame most of his responses about himself to begin with the phrase, "A kid like me." He had a diagnosis of Autism and had obviously heard his parents use that as an excuse for overlooking many things in his life. However, when he used it with me, I would always come back with a response of, "You mean a kid who is tall, funny, handsome, kind, sensitive, strong, smart, etc., etc., etc." He eventually quit saying it altogether and now really is living up to his full potential.
DeleteShaina, Thank you, but...in my opinion each of us, as teachers, are uniquely enabled to work with certain populations and all of them are a blessing. I have taught grade school, junior high, and high school. I've taught gen ed and sped. Each of them was the best fit for me at the time I was (am) doing it.
Debi, I agree with Shania. Thank you for teaching high school. Exciting to hear that these students have a caring teacher like you. Great!
DeleteI try to often instill that into my kids often that... 'anything is possible, don't give up, keep looking for that right answer,' Even though i get that look like "really?' I dont let up because one day they are going to realize that it is time to get it into gear and thatey will want us to pour all the knowledge that we have into them to be sucessful.
DeleteDebi-
DeleteIf I haven't told you this lately, thank you for all you do!!! I know without a doubt that you do everything under the sun to give students every opportunity to be the best they can be, and I'm SO happy you're one of the teachers I get to work with!!!
I started out as a general education teacher in Kindergarten. I had a love-hate relationship as I changed perspective of what Kindergarten was like for me to what it is now-a-days. I love the little kids!! They can make you laugh, or at least smile, everyday. I really enjoy finding activities that the children can do that makes learning fun. Around the second year of teaching I was thinking about what to get my masters in. I like being around the special education children, mostly because if I was having a bad day, one of them could find a way to make me smile! I think the deciding factor to go into deaf education was being around the deaf students at my school and my love for American Sign Language. I think it's a beautiful language and different from spoken languages. You can communicate with someone across the room without yelling.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like my content and professional passions overlap. I got into teaching because of my love for young children but also because I wanted the kids to have fun while learning. Most of the time with activities, the children don't know they are learning and that's what I love. I like looking for those activities for my deaf and hard of hearing students also and adapting them as need be. However, as I have grown and learned, I enjoy sharing information with other adults. I love swapping ideas and the position I am in allows me to do some of that. I also get to work with students some and come up with some activities that make learning fun.
When he talked about personal passion, I was thinking more along the lines of what do I like to do when I'm not teaching; "what do I do to unwind and refresh myself?" My personal hobbies include reading, sewing and scrapbooking. I get away from my 'work' and do something relaxing. However, as I continued to read, I thought that I could connect my personal passion to my teaching. You could say my hobbies are creative hobbies. I enjoy coming up with fun activities--a-ha, also creativity. I don't really create the activities but I search for them and sometimes adapt them to what I want to focus on.
Are you fluent in ASL? I had a good friend in college who took a lot of classes and it amazed me. I wish I knew more!
DeleteIn my profession I am passionate about helping kids who remind me of myself! The kids who are climbing out of their seats, who can't seem to pay attention to five minutes of class, who would rather be anywhere but at school... (Funny how life works out isn't it) When I was younger I knew I wanted to work with Special Needs kids or abused kids. I originally wanted to work as a criminal psychologist specializing in crimes against children but decided to switch to education. The special education part came to me as a blessing. I am so excited to go to school everyday and help these kids "see the light" in an activity they have struggled with.
ReplyDeleteOutside of work I am passionate about Christ and family. My 4 (soon maybe 5) nieces are the best and I love spending time with them. I enjoy time with my boyfriend and his 6 year old daughter.
I am always amazed at what draws us into teaching. Perhaps your teachers would never have pegged you to be a teacher, but because you understand what many of the students are going through, you're better at what you do.
DeleteWithin my content area, I am passionate about my kiddos becoming readers and finding a joy in something that is very hard for them. I have endorsements in elementary education, early childhood education, special education and ESL. I find that because I am in a K-6 building, I use all of those endorsements daily. Each day is a new day in my building, so that means each day is a new day to help a kiddo find the love and joy of reading. One of my favorite things is watching one of my 1st graders putting things together to make it possible for her to read. It is so fun!!
ReplyDeleteIn my profession, I am passionate about giving kids a voice. I have some very challenging students on my caseload, and it just makes my heart swell to hear one of them say "I got this...I can do it on my own." What an amazing day it is when I hear them say that. I find that my most challenging kiddos make my day better every.single.day. Watching my kids grow and develop new skills and devlop their voice and be able to advocate for themselves...that is why I do what I do. SpEd kids are amazing, and guinine, and unique. They make my life better!!
Outside of my profession, I am passionate about my family. They make my world complete. My boys, my husband, and our new little one that is on the way. My life would not be the same without them. My boys keep me on my toes. They are at the age where they are super busy, and even though I grumble about it at times, I absolutely love it. I work in the building where my kids are, so I get to see them every day. It always makes my heart smile when they stop by my room to tell me they love me. My husband keeps me grounded and definitely makes me a better person. We fit so well together and balance each other out. I can't imagine my life without him! Our new little one is due in December, so we are all anxiously awaiting it's arrival.
It is fun when a student connects the dots for the first time in their learning and knowing that you were a part of it. It is also a great feeling when you have helped a student to believe in themselves. I agree with and like your post.
DeleteReading can open so many areas up to kids, and help them be successful in their lives!!
DeleteI am passionate about teachers having the energy and the resources to reach all kids. I see every day how difficult our jobs are finding ways to help our students "get it" and get that "aha" moment. Believe me, I am in awe of your patience!! I hope that this book might get us excited about different ways to teach so students have fun learning and so we have more fun teaching.
ReplyDeleteContent Area: My bachelor of science degree is in Family & Consumer Education and I love it when students can participate in hands on learning (math and reading) as they create in the kitchen. I've had students create personal pillows and on student made curtains for her room at home.
ReplyDeleteIn my profession I'm passionate about helping students find a way to learn that works for them and I enjoy helping kids become self sufficient as they learn lifeskills.
Outside of work I'm passionate about my family and agriculture. I have four grown sons, two fantastic daughter-in-laws and nine grandchildren (six boys, three girls) whom I love to be around and talk about. I also enjoy reading, gardening and sewing.
I have heard about the wonderful things you do to help students learn in different ways, like when you arranged for students to be around your horses. I love the creative ways that you go about making sure every student is learning!
DeleteI think being able to use hands on activities is a wonderful thing as well. In each unit I teach I try to do one cooking activity that ties to what we are learning. Kids look forward to do it and they are engaged.
DeleteI strive to make my kiddos as self sufficient as possible! Everyone learns in different ways and I believe that it's important to help the kids find out which way suits them best!
DeleteIn my subject area, I am passionate about reading. I love teaching reading, all aspects; phonics to comprehension to making inferences. I am passionate about teaching that with reading, you can learn about anything.
ReplyDeleteIn my profession I am passionate about teaching my students how to learn; what works best for them. Letting them know it's ok if they learn differently, but when they know what differently means and what works for them, they can be successful in education and for the rest of their lives. I am also passionate about making sure they know not only is their education important, but they, as people, are important.
Outside of work I am passionate about living a fulfilling, happy life. This includes helping others, staying positive, standing up for what I believe in, working hard, and enjoying the world. When I say enjoying the world I mean learning about it, traveling, meeting new people, and taking advantage of what it has to offer; snowboarding, mountains, rivers, beaches, the sunrise and sunset, etc.
Reading is a passion outside of work too. With reading I can continue to learn about new and foreign things, or I can escape to a world and let my imagination take over; what a stress reliever :)
Reading is a wonderful "escape" and many times I'm learning something new when I read. It sounds like your are passionate about life in general and that will certainly carry over into your professional life !!
DeleteI also like to teach the students to learn what works best for them. It gives them a few "hooks" when it comes to learning and this builds their confidence. I love to see that in students!
DeleteI taught elementary students for 10 years prior to becoming a gifted facilitator. I think my greatest passion is helping students expand their ideas. I love getting them to think about things beyond what they usually do and make connections. I love when students pick up a book and make connections with something they learned in Science and then connect it with a particular period of History. Then, when they can take the same theme and apply it to their own lives. I don’t think I enjoy anything more in teaching than watching that.
ReplyDeleteI am passionate about helping students. I want to see students be an advocate for themselves and their needs. Even more though, I want teachers to see the needs students have and be willing to help them.
Outside of school, I am passionate about my family. I love to spend time with them and do things they love to do. I love watching my children find what they’re passionate about. I have to admit, I love a good latte. Yes, I think my family would say that I am passionate about my coffee. :)
Jessica,
DeleteHazelnut lattes are my favorite drink, we should get together and enjoy one or ten... I taught third grade one year and found that was not the level of students I enjoy teaching. The upside to third grade was the eagerness they demonstrated for learning. I really like helping older students prepare for life after high school. It is so exciting to help them dream, plan, and then actually accomplish their goals.
I'm so glad you chose to become our gifted facilitator. So many times those students don't get the attention they need, because everyone makes the assumption they will be alright because they are "gifted". I'm sure the students appreciate your passion!
DeleteAnd...coffee is a good thing, especially Starbucks coffee!
I agree Jessica! Seeing the light bulb go off is a great feeling. Seeing it in the high school students is really great as sometimes they seem to be done with classes and new ideas.
DeleteA truly engaged student is beautiful thing to see.!
DeleteI am a special education teacher. My passion within my profession and subject area is working with students with emotional behavior disorders and overall behavioral needs. I feel that it is what I am best at. I worked in a Day Treatment facility last year and learned a lot about mental illnesses and how our environment plays a huge factor in our learning.
ReplyDeleteMy passion outside of teaching is spending time with my family and traveling. I also like to do crafts.
I love teaching reading and English units. I am all about literature and how I can incorporate other subjects into it as well. My hope professionally is to teach students to take what they learn with me and apply it to the world around them.
ReplyDeleteOutside of school my passions are reading, traveling, and crafts.
Cara,
DeleteI'm glad someone likes to teach English. Interpreting symbolism in literature or poetry is not my thing.
I love teaching math and science content areas. They go together and quite a bit of math is involved in science.
ReplyDeleteWithin your profession, what are you passionate about?
Within my profession, I think my passion falls on building relationships and social graces. Many adults are lonely because their social skills do not promote relationships.
Outside my profession, I love to do woodworking. The satisfaction that comes from seeing a piece of furniture resulting from board lengths is wonderful. I also like to quilt, at least I like to piece quilt tops. I'm not very artistic, these hobbies are as close to being creative as I get.
I'm envious of your woodworking....I love the smell from the woodshop next door to my room and someday I would like to try my hand at this.
DeleteIn the content areas I teach, I am most passionate about teaching reading. Reading not only is a tool students need to succeed in school and in life, but it is also something that kids can do for pleasure. They will only become readers for pleasure if reading is natural to them. So many of my students come to me with very low reading levels and pretty much frustrated because as hard as they have tried, reading is difficult and they don't enjoy reading. I want to make sure each and every student I teach reading to not only improves their reading ability by the time they leave me, but that they ENJOY reading.
ReplyDeleteAs a professional, I think I am like most special education teachers, I am passionate about the CHILDREN. I love to have students succeed, no matter how big or small their successes, I rejoice with them and encourage them to do more. There are days that I have a million things to accomplish, and people pulling me every which way, but if a student comes to me and says, "Mrs. Loeppke, can I talk to you?" I drop everything and give them my full attention. Getting my job done is important, but making a difference in my student's lives is the most important job I have!
Outside my profession, I spend a lot of time with my kids and husband - we tend to do most things as a family. Family is definitely my passion - all holidays and most birthdays are a big party at our house. It is a ton of work to get the house cleaned, shop, cook, etc. but I love having our entire extended family together and I love the memories we make together. I am also an avid reader - I have to read a little bit every day for fun, just the one little thing I do for myself. I am also passionate about animals - we have four house cats, (all are rescue cats) two we have had from the age of 3 weeks, I had to bottle feed them and give them medicine as they were very sick when we got them. We also have numerous feral cats that we feed, two that have taken up permanent residence in our bad yard, so my son and husband made them a house. We also feed the squirrels and birds in the backyard, because we enjoy watching them. We also get the occasional skunk that likes to visit the cat bowl at night. We also have two fish tanks, and fish pond (outside), hermit crabs, pet mice, and hamsters. Our house is pretty full of life and I love it!
Pets are family, or at least of 5 dogs are. We love to play with our pets and have them ( 3 of them) with us when we watch TV or are just reading. They are a comfort to us. Our dogs are extra small(1.9lbs) to Large(60lds).
DeleteBut we love them all.
Love the idea that you feed the squirrels, we often watch them walk our fence line.
I also like to spend time with my family! The more the merrier, whenever we can all get together is a great time!
DeleteI know you and I have the same passion of celebrating the students with their small increments of learning. Its fun to see the progress!
DeleteI find lots of "life" within the house calming, don't you? I can't imagine just me or just me and my husband in a perfectly clean home, sounds boring:)
DeleteMy undergraduate degree is Home Ec. I am very passionate about it. Kids of today do not have the skills to provide for themselves in basic home skills. Sewing on a lose button, fixing a minor tear, cooking a well balanced meal or writing a check.
ReplyDeleteUnless they are taught at home not all schools have these classes available.
When I began teaching special my passion changed to math, not teaching it but supporting kids, that struggle with the concepts of math. It is awesome to see the light bulb come on when they grasp the subject.
My passions out side of school are my family, and my belief in Christ, I also love to read, sew and craft. I often bring crafts into my classes and tie it into the subject, with measurements or reading direction. I am very lucky that I get to see my number one passion everyday at school, 2 of my children are right in my building and drop by through the day to talk.
I think it's wonderful that you are so passionate about home ec! I fully agree - especially since my husband is a perfect example of a student who could have used a home ec class or two! I think it is wonderful that you get to see your children throughout the day, and that you get the kids involved in crafts. I'm not a very crafty person but my mom and I used to do crafts together - while it seems trivial at the time, you are honing creativity, problem solving, and building rapport with your students. It's great!
DeleteHome Economic classes were my absolute favorite classes in high school. I still have my recipe box full of recipes I wrote out in cooking class, and some in my teacher's handwriting! I don't always use them, but I cherish them. I also still love to sew, although I rarely have time to do much anymore. How blessed are your students that you are able to bring your talent of crafting into your classroom!
DeleteAs the High School Interrelated teacher, I teach most subjects 9-12, either as a co-teacher or in the interrelated room. I am most passionate about biology, and it was the first subject I taught when I began teaching as a 7th. grade science teacher. To me, it is so interesting and fun to learn about all the life around us as well as ourselves. I love being outdoors, so I get the kids out to make observations and do some hands-on learning.
ReplyDeleteWithin my profession, I am passionate about sparking an interest. I love seeing the light come on. Getting the students motivated and wanting to learn is so important. My favorite part of my job is when a student tells me they hated or didn’t understand a subject until they were in my class. It makes me feel like I am doing my job!
Outside of teaching, I am passionate about animals. I will talk about my dogs and cats like most people talk about their kids. We have horses, and I barrel race on the weekends when my horse & I are clicking. My friends and I know not to call each other until well after dark, because we are all out riding!
I loved being able to go outside during science! I too teach 9-12 Interrelated and I often hear that they will "never use science." I tell them we use science every day and don't really think about it! The fact that you get them to go out and observe and interact will help show them that science IS a part of their every day world. What kind of dogs do you have? We have two fur babies of our own - I completely understand talking about them like most people do their children :)
DeleteMy passion is reading! besides reading on my own, I belong to a book club that helps me stretch myself as to what I read. I also read books that are recommended by my high school students, some I enjoy, others no so much. I am also reading 3 books that I have grade school kids reading. The conversations we have are varied and everyone learns from them.
ReplyDeleteI work to make students have a love of reading and to see where that can take them.. just one good book can open up so many areas to them..
Outside of work I have that love to read and grow, which I have passed on the my kids, and now my grandkids! Always buying the books and they are all readers also. My fur babies are also a passion, one is almost 18 and showing his age!! The other a youngster at 5.
I read the Hunger Games series based on a recommendation from my niece several years ago. Last year one of my 8th grade girls wanted to read The Maze Runner, which we did in class. Like you I belong to a book club. I do have favorite genres and authors but I also feel it is important to listen to others recommendations!
DeleteKim-
DeleteI use to have a passion for reading, and it's not that I don't enjoy it anymore, but it just seems like I never have time to read the 'fun stuff' that I want to read. Right now, I'm just trying to keep up with what I need to do, and everything else gets thrown out the window. Ugh... Maybe this summer??? Give me your recommendations, and I'll put it down in my planner, haha!
Within my subject matter- I teach a pull-out reading class for the majority of the students on my caseload. 13 out of the 15 kids on my caseload have an ELA goal (reading and writing). Over the years I have had to change the structure of my class to align with the current curriculum. I have added a lot more writing to my class than I feel I am able to teach well. Reading is my true passion, not teaching kids how to read, but teaching them to love to read, to want to read, and be able to independently read books that interest them. I realize that this is a lofty goal considering my 13 students who have an ELA goal are struggling readers but I have gotten very creative over the years in instilling a love of reading to my students. Last school year my classes read "The Maze Runner" a request of one of my 8th grade girls. Whenever I read a book in a series I always read book 1 and hopefully plant a hook in the students to continue reading the series on their own.. This year my students actually begged my to read the "Scorch Trials" (book 2). The movie is out and they want to read it before they see it. Since this was not a part of my reading class plan for this year we are squeezing it in by listening to it via Audiobooks. I broke my own rule but the students were so insistent on reading it I hated to tell them, "No, we can not read a book you want, we must read a book I want". That totally defeats my goal for wanting the students to be passionate about reading!!
ReplyDeleteWithin my profession- I have always loved working with kids and teaching gives me the opportunity daily. Also I want kids to become life-long learners. Not to think that their education stops when they graduate, as most kids do think that. I want them to have the mind-set that learning takes place through-out their lives and to embrace that and not be afraid of change.
Outside my profession- I love to spend time with my family, that is my true passion. My daughter is a senior this year and our family dynamics will change, so I am savoring every moment I have with my family. I also love reading, am learning to crochet, and like to watch scary movies. My family is involved in our church and we also love to travel!
I love that you are accommodating your students and what they are seeking out. I would hate to deny them something (such as reading/listening to a specific book) because of the overwhelm,ing amount of material and standards that we, as teachers, have to make sure the students master. Personally, I have always allowed my own children to read books that interest them and that they want to read. Even if it is not totally age appropriate for them. I don't want to deny them their reading for pleasure.
DeleteWhen Common Core came along and we were teaching those standards without having any directions as to the test students would take in the spring, there was no way to teach to the test. It was very liberating. I teach the standards in Common Core but I do not teach to the test. Hopefully I will never have to go back to that!
DeleteI love your comment Carol -- I teach kids to love to read. That is fundamental to learning to read. I also agree about the common core business - sounds to me like the pendulum has swung back more in the middle. Hopefully with new direction instruction will make more sense.
DeleteWithin your subject matter, what are you passionate about teaching?
ReplyDeleteI have a background in Psychology and counseling teenagers, so I would say that my true passion is to teach teenagers at the junior high and high school level. This level gives me the opportunity to be able to not only help my students academically, but also with other issues they may have. I feel if they are having emotional issues, then they won't be able to focus on school work.
Within your profession, what are you passionate about?
I would have to say that I'm passionate about helping kids progress in their lives both academically and personally. I love working with kids. I am also passionate about having a great working relationship with my co workers.
Completely outside of your profession, what are you passionate about?
I am passionate about my family and watching my boys grow into great young men. I also am very passionate about traditions in all areas of my life. I want to pass these traditions onto my boys and then they will be able to pass them on to their children. This year I am really proud, excited, and nervous about my oldest son going to college next year. and my other three having a great year in school.
I totally agree with you about dealing with emotional or behavior issues before a student is able to learn. When a student has emotional issues during school or he/she is oversensitive about something, that stifles their learning process. Sometimes, we have to teach coping skills and strategies before those students are able to focus academics.
DeleteWithin my subject matter since I teach or reinforce a little bit of everything, I'm passionate about giving kids that best chance that I can give them to be sucessful at school. Even the smallest vicories that I witness in my kids keeps me driven to expect more out of my kids everyday. While there are days that I do feel that I'm spinning my wheels I try to look for even the victory that may seem to others trivial, and I go with the flow on that......Within my profession I'm passionate about,,, I can honestly say that when I was first hired to be a Special Education Teacher I easily said after my first month or two on the job I was asking myself: ' what havei got myself into?' I literally thought that this was not I was expecting and I had hard time adjusting to this branch of teaching. I was seeking a job back in those days to be an elementary teacher. This job is a challenge and after fifteen years this is still a challenging job, but I remained patient worked hard asked for guidence from my peers and family I knew that I could take on the challenge and never give up hope on myself or for these kids that come through these school doors every day I've had to reflect on that mentality often in the last five years. I am proud to be in this profession.......Outside of my profession... I would have to say that being an elementary teacher that dream is still a goal that I would like to have. Also I would like to be a History teacher. I have always been in the past and where we have come from and I would like to ( if I had the chance ) teach History to our young minds.
ReplyDeleteI really like your first couple of sentences. I believe if we can give our students the best chance at success, then we can see the pride that they show by that success.
DeleteThank you for your commitment all of these years . It is nice to see how passionate you still are .
DeleteWithin my subject matter, I am passionate about teaching reading. Reading is foundational, and a skill that is necessary for life. I want to give kiddos the love of reading, and I love to see when that lightbulb finally clicks with students.
ReplyDeleteWithin my profession I am passionate about trying to figure out ways to reach my kiddos. I am passionate about trying to figure out what method or avenue I need to take in order to extract the best efforts out of my kiddos. All students learn differently, and while most of them fit in a box or cookie cutter; I am passionate about the ones who don't and I am passionate about helping them in the ways that are not typical "textbook" students.
Outside of my profession, I am passionate about my kids. I have 4 amazingly, wonderful kids that keep me busy, and I just couldn't imagine not being a mom to these kids. I am also passionate about learning and growing my knowledge. I feel like I always need to be stimulating my brain to continue to learn and grow, not just in teaching, but in other skills to. If I am unsure of something or have heard a new concept or word, I have to figure out what it is.
I love the area of reading as well !! I hope to increase and foster this love in my students .
DeleteWithin my subject matter I am passionate about teaching reading. I have always loved this subject area and hope that my students can find a love of reading as well. Within my profession I am passionate about utilizing and sharing structured teaching in my classroom . It had been extremely beneficial to my students as well as myself as their teacher. Outside of my profession I am passionate about traveling and experiencing other cultures. I love to travel and experience new people and places.
ReplyDeleteI like to talk/teach the multiple ways I have found to self-regulate and how Maslow's hierarchy of needs really does make sense. My personal passions are my girls, guitar, and working out.
ReplyDeleteI received my bachelors degree in elementary education. I have my sped minor and an endorsement in early childhood. I have always been passionate about teaching young children. My mother teaches special education preschool in a self contained classroom. For years now his has been something that I would love to do as well!! Outside of teaching I am passionate about my family! I love spending time with them and experiencing new things together.
ReplyDeleteI am not a teacher so I do not have any subject that I can be passionate about teaching. Although as a school psychologist, I have helped develop the Student Improvement Team process in one of the schools where I like to hang out. I love spreading the word about interventions and helping teachers develop appropriate interventions that will help a student grow. I am all about what is beneficial to any student. I truly believe that if students do not learn by the way they are being instructed that the instruction must be changed to reach the student. I love love love to problem solve which is probably one of the reasons I love my job so much!
ReplyDeleteMy personal passions revolve around my family. My husband is my rock! My children are my world. I have a ten year old daughter, eight year old son, and my baby just turned a year old. My family is a little wild, but so much fun!
My passion is definitely working with students with more significant disabilities such as multiple disabilities and autism. I believe that all students can learn and it is my passion to help them reach their fullest potential. Over the 21 years I have been in education, I have learned so much from these students and hope that I have given them a joy for learning as much as they have given me a joy in teaching.
ReplyDeleteMy professional passion is connecting with students and co-workers alike to provide the best possible education for all students. I love helping others and welcome the insight of others in helping me become better in my profession.
What drives me the most is my personal passion which is living a life that is pleasing to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Everything I do, I do to glorify Him. Next to that passion is a passion for my family. I have a husband and we have two grown children. One is married and one is waiting to someday be married! We have two grandchildren. They are all my heartthrob and precious gifts from God.
I guess I can’t really say that I have a particular subject matter I’m passionate about teaching, but within my profession, I’d say I’m passionate being a cheerleader for our kiddos. It frustrates me so much when I see people (teachers, parents, even the individual) totally discount our students because their demonstrated skills or behaviors aren’t typical. I understand that some of our students are more challenging to work with, but some of the comments I hear or the situations I’m involved with are just ridiculous. For example, one of my interrelated teachers told me that the art teacher came to her room wanting to know where she should hang one of our student’s pictures. The interrelated teacher asked where the rest of the class’s were going to be hung. The art teacher had displayed everyone else’s in the hallway, but wanted to hang up our kiddo’s project in the resource room. Who does that?!?!
ReplyDeleteOutside of my profession… Well… I really don’t have a whole lot going on, haha! Don’t get me wrong, I have lots of things to be happy with in my life, but the majority of my time right now revolves around work related stuff. Maybe my new passion should be finding a passion??? Haha!
My professional passion has becoming supporting structures to help more kids be successful. It's grown out of frustration of having teachers look to special education as the answer when a child is not succeeding, even if the child doesn't really qualify for services. I love that moment when we suggest an intervention and someone on the team says "well why aren't we doing that for everyone. " - Exactly
ReplyDeleteMy personal passions are harder to pinpoint, there's my family of course, watching my children grow keeps me going, and I like to take on some new project or something to learn at least a couple times a year.