"A teacher is like an atlas that carries the whole world on his shoulders"

I have always had aspirations to delve into the intricacies of language and culture from an early age; I therefore pursued literature and teaching to broaden my knowledge of the peripheral issues. As I had grown up in Germany for many years in my early childhood, before moving back to Tehran, the constant comparison of the two cultures and their effect in linguistics, teaching and translation fascinated me immensely. I love working and communicating with people, so I decided to start my career as a Teacher.

Over the course of fourteen years as a German Teacher, my approach to student education has shifted from an emphasis on my teaching to a more central focus on student learning. Every classroom presents a unique community of learners that varies not only in ability, but also in learning styles. My role as a Teacher is to give students the tools with which to cultivate their own gardens of knowledge. To accomplish this goal, I teach according to the needs of each student so that all learners can feel capable and successful.

Effective learning requires collaboration between the teacher and students in mutual respect and trust. In my opinion, learning takes place best in a positive environment filled with laughter. It is my desire as an Instructor to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is lively and invites a sharing of ideas. A teacher should be kind and full of excitement, patient with students, lively with a high level of knowledge and enthusiasm.

A teacher is an individual who carries the world on their shoulders and is not just a teacher, but also someone who takes most of the responsibility and plays the role model of the students. One should demonstrate leadership ability with a pleasant and encouraging attitude in a good classroom atmosphere. The most efficient instructors should be adept in their topic and be well prepared with the material. They should take students seriously and they are required to think critically. Teachers should know about the study habits and interests of their students and should adjust their teaching to them.

Characteristics I have that contribute to my teaching ability are me being lively, fun, firm, hardworking, explaining almost everything in an easy way, being reliable, responsible, able to deal with different problems, enthusiastic, being able to motivate students and making them work hard, being creative, dedicated, passionate, and confident. My past experience has helped me to always organize a syllabus, follow it strictly, and manage classroom time effectively.

In an American classroom with international students, I usually give input in an enjoyable way to students, so they will have fun while acquiring a second language. I communicate as much as possible, by doing communicative tasks and activities, which help them, learn the language easily without getting bored. In this way I make use of different game-like activities. But, before that I always review the previous session at the beginning of the class.

While introducing new information, I try to incorporate students' lives to make it as real as possible to get their full attention. In this way, I often make use of visual aids, which makes the examples more clear.

I also let students talk about themselves, so I get to know them. I ask students to make presentations using their own basic knowledge of German. For instance, I have prompted the students to create Power Point presentations that introduce their family members to the class. They were told to use their knowledge of German to describe their family members. This gives them the opportunity to increase their depth of knowledge while improving their presentation and critical thinking skills.

Through learning German the students gain a new cultural perspective along with learning the new language. They discover the inherent cultural significance behind German speaking societies. This helps them to accept the other culture's differences without forsaking their own identity.

Also grading within a week plays an important role in a teacher-student relationship. It shows that the students' tasks are important and that the teacher cares.

Towards the end of the class, I take time to show them German music or lighthearted anecdotes originating from German culture. It is pivotal to form a rapport between the students and myself. I find that retaining a semi-formal atmosphere in the classroom bolsters an ideal working environment.

Taking all of these factors into consideration, I must compile an efficient work schedule to facilitate the most productivity. I will always strive to be the best educator that I can be. My passion for teaching and knowledge displays itself through my students.

I will continue to look for opportunities to create new courses, and update my current courses by incorporating innovative teaching techniques and presenting students the most up-to-date learning methods while acquiring a second language.