Nicole: Calumet City tutor

Certified Tutor

A poet by the name of W.B. Yeats wrote "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire" (Brainy Quotes, 2001-2016). This statement captured the art of teaching. I believe teaching is a profession where one is called and chosen. A teacher must have compassion, content knowledge, and be willing to build relationships with students in order to reach and inspire students in today's society. Thus far, my teaching experience has taught me to build a relationship with a student, gain their trust, and show that I care about their goals and dreams and them as a person. They are more prone to be open to the new concepts you are trying to teach them because they know you care. My teaching style is geared towards giving them major concepts and becoming a more student-centered learning environment that challenges them to think and push beyond their comfort zone. I like to accomplish this by incorporating Project/Problem Based Learning and Argument Driven Inquiry into my teaching. I believe these two techniques bring real world application as well as develop their critical thinking skills using supporting evidence. I would use summative assessment strategies to evaluate the desired outcomes. I will periodically check using informal assessment to check conceptual information. This mixture of assessment strategies will give me the opportunity as a teacher to make sure that the students are understanding and able to apply the material.

Building positive relationships with students, families, and colleagues are a vital component of teaching. Characteristics of positive relationship include communication, open-mindedness, honesty, and genuine concern. As a teacher, I am straightforward and honest because I have found that students appreciate and are more receptive when you are not trying to hide things from them. I believe my decisions and actions directly impact my relationships with others. I am very intentional about what I say and do to make sure that I always have my best foot forward and give the best impressions to my students, families, and colleagues. Ultimately, my goal as an educator is to ignite students to learn as much as they can in order to achieve their goals and push them beyond their comfort zones. The following quote by Marianne Williamson (1992) summarizes it best: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"