Kiera Schultz

001194038

A Child Centered Life

Teaching is a continuous learning process, with all kinds of curve balls, ups and downs,

and is a profession that is to be loved and cherished. To have the ability to influence and impact

students over the course of a year, or perhaps years, is an ability to be used with extreme care. I

believe in order to be a professional educator that effectively impacts students, one must commit

to a lifetime of reflection, critical thinking, personal development and continuous self-learning. I

advocate that a profession involving the hearts, and minds of children is a profession taken on by

only those with huge hearts, open minds, and curious souls.

Success to me, is an immense word with many meanings, and I understand that success

involves different levels and is a continuous growing spectrum for students and teachers. I

believe that all teachers should strive to encourage student success, emotionally, physically and

mentally. I believe that a professional educator must understand that success comes at different

speeds and in different amounts, and sometimes learning involves the children interacting within

their environment with their peers. I believe that even the smallest amount of progress, should be

viewed as a step in the right direction, and should be praised as success. Positive reinforcement,

no matter how small, can influence students, and lead to exponential personal growth that can

spread to others and their environment.

I believe that it is the responsibility of teachers to encourage a love of learning among

students, and on a daily basis, it should be their goal to encourage success and growth above all

else, which can be done through the teachers acts. I believe that teachers who strive to meet each

individual students needs the best they can, over all will leave the biggest impact on students.

Professional educators should be leaders, by emphasizing the importance of learning, friendship,

care, and overall happiness with oneself and as a class. Professional educators, who take extra
 Kiera Schultz
001194038

time to care for, and learn about their students individual and collective needs, will in turn create

the greatest success within their classroom.

I strive to be an open minded, whole hearted, caring, and loving teacher, who students

feel they can relate to, and build relationships with. When I become a professional educator, I

hope that I can partake in many developmental courses, to not only further my learning but my

students as well. I hope to continue to be a reflective and critical thinker, striving every day to

encourage students and teach them the incredible love for learning that I possess. I believe that a

professional educator must fundamentally be an open-minded individual, especially when

dealing with the ever changing and diverse classrooms in todays society. I hope to continue to

be a very open person, who welcomes feedback, new ideas, and welcomes growth in general.

Throughout my Education 2500 experience, I have been given the incredible opportunity

to work alongside so many amazing individuals, whom have all taught me an incredible amount.

The most important thing that I have taken from this course is the value of being a reflective

practitioner. I feel as though with every reflection and logbook entry, I have been able to grow as

an individual and as a potential educator. I will continue to keep personal and professional

journals, to reflect on the positive and negative practices seen throughout school communities. I

believe that it is very important to be greatly involved with your school community, and this is

something I have been able to be a part of by sharing reflections in this course.

I enjoy reflecting upon my experiences, both positive and negative, and learning from

both the actions of others, and myself. I will continue to be a reflective practitioner throughout

my career as I feel it helps to emotionally drain any negative experiences from your mind, clear

your thoughts and allow you to reflect in a positive manner. I strongly believe that in order to
 Kiera Schultz
001194038

successfully impact and teach students, a professional educator must be a critical thinker. To be a

critical thinker, benefits not only yourself, but also your students in every day practices.

To be a positive and good professional educator, I believe one must continuously strive

for the best outcomes and success for students. Every role model and mentor I have come across,

over the past few years have always, when asked a question, responded without deep thought,

with an answer which will best serve students needs. In five years from now, I hope to be in a

positive learning environment, teaching my students to love learning as much as I do. I believe

that strong school communities lead to greater student learning success, and I hope to work on a

daily basis to build positive relationships with students, parents and colleagues. I am excited to

work with colleagues and peers to continue my own personal learning, and continue to improve

and provide a positive learning environment for my students.

My teaching philosophy is solely based around a student-centered concept. I strive to be a

teacher who puts students needs first, as Ive seen so many mentors do, and work every day to

provide students with the best learning experience possible. I recognize that my learning and

professional development will never stop, and I love that. I am eager to continue to learn and be

the best that I can be for my students. I recognize I require development in many areas, in

particular in lesson plan mapping, and look forward to learning more on effective lesson delivery

methods. I am excited to continue my growth as a professional educator, and strive to be the

best that I can be as my elementary school song lyrics stated.