GOALS:
I feel that my values and goals as an educator as always shifting, growing, and developing with a few core values and goals remaining the same. One of my goals an educator is to of course to be a forever learner. More specifically, within the next five years I would like to complete my Master of Education in physical literacy or special education. This would be combining my passions of education, physical health, inclusivity, and diversity. Continuing to grow and better myself will directly benefit my students. I believe it is so important to continue learning and expanding my professional horizons in order have a fruitful and rewarding career.
Another goal that will always remain close to my heart is my goal to constantly search out new and fresh material for my students. Although I think it is important to have some “core” lessons and units that are re-usable, I find that many teachers fall into a stale routine of reusing and overusing irrelevant content simply because it is too much work to create new content. I will always strive to update my content and material as society and culture continuously changes around us. I believe it is important for students to have access to content and lessons that are relevant to current events, supporting them in becoming successful citizens. This also supports my previous goal of being a forever learning. When I am faced with the task of creating new content, I am inherently learning and elevating my practice.
VALUES:
In my professional education career, I value most the opportunity to build rewarding relationships and connections along with kindness, perseverance, and reflectivity. All these traits are crucial to me, as a new educator, to help the students and myself succeed. Relationships and connections are one of the most important aspects of teaching. To me, being able to form meaningful relationships is key in creating a bond that allows for comfortable, non-judgmental, and natural learning. Often times, students need a role model to look to during rough times in their life (especially when navigating the trying times that are adolescence), and having an adult who they can trust can sometimes be the difference between conquering fears or retreating. I believe kindness is a value that is extremely underrated. Kindness can move mountains when practiced daily. Often times, not only students, but co-workers simply need some kindness in their lives in order to alter their attitude. I strive to constantly be kind to everyone I interact with because it is impossible to know what is going on in people’s personal lives. A value that is also important to me is perseverance. Especially as a new educator, being able to maneuver and adjust to setbacks and roadblocks in a flexible and positive way is a skill that will be greatly beneficial. Learning from one’s mistakes and becoming better because of them is something I greatly value. Lastly, practicing reflectivity is something I also value greatly because it ties back to my goal of being a forever learner. If I am able to reflect on my practice and experience, I will be able to continue to learn from what I do in order to continuously improve.