My job as a teacher is to provide the students with the tools to learn. It will be a rare day where you find me standing at the front of the classroom and lecturing for the entire class time. Students learn best when given the chance to find the information for themselves. The best learning occurs when students are motivated and want to learn the information. My goal for my students is that they leave at the end of the year not only having learned all the content, but also having become better people. I want my students to not only learn the core curriculum, but also life skills that will follow them out into the workforce. All students are capable of completing the work. You just have to give them the correct tools to do it. For one student this may mean a lecture and for another that may mean one on one attention. My goal as a teacher is to ensure that each and every student is given the opportunity to succeed, not just in school, but also in life. Every student is welcome in my classroom, no matter their background. I want each student to find a second home inside my classroom. I want every student to feel not only safe, but also loved, appreciated, and empowered to be themselves. This is why I have a zero tolerance policy for bullying. I have found that you are often given more than one chance in life. The old adage says “if at first you don’t succeed, then try, try again.” I don’t want students to learn to the test, but rather learn to learn. I want students to learn materials so that they can remember them for years to come. I believe that formative assessment and constant feedback is crucial for this. We will be reviewing subjects throughout the year to ensure that students are given ample opportunity for mastery of subjects. We will do this through instruction, projects, and discussions in my classroom. I fully intend to integrate technology into my classroom. Technology is the future, and the goal of my classroom is to prepare my students for the future. By using multiple forms of technology, I can better equip my students for the days ahead of them. This means that I also have to continue to grow. I cannot properly instruct my students without growing myself. I intend to use professional development to my advantage and call upon the expertise of others in my field to help me in this mission. It takes a village to raise a child. This is especially true of teaching a child. I just hope to be one small part of that village.