Education

I have just started my master's program in education and I am learning so much! There is a lot to know before becoming a high school teacher these days. For instance, in my school district the special needs children are right in the classroom with everyone else. That means I have to learn to teach them, kids with learning disabilities, gifted kids, students with different learning styles (visual, audio, hands-on, etc), and students from several different cultures all at once. No wonder so much time goes into lesson planning! We are also beginning to look at adolescent psychology. Who knew there were reasons teenagers act like they do? :) It helps to understand where they are coming from.

I really hope that I will be a good teacher. I want to be because teachers have the potential to impact kids so much for better or worse. What does everyone out there think the main purpose of a teacher should be? I'm talking about in any subject area. I can tell you what I think, but I don't know if it is right or wrong. My goal is to give kids thinking skills and self-esteem. I think those two things could help them more in life than almost anything else. Also what does everyone think about teaching morals in the classroom? I think it is my responsibility to model moral behavior. Also talking about current issues is a good time to discuss right and wrong. Anyway, just thought I would throw that out there. Good luck to teachers and all those with children! They are unending joy and profound responsibility!