Aaron Hamann

Sept., 30, 2000

CI 426/Martin

As I reflect on the qualities of a good teacher, I find myself focusing on two of my own specific "weaker strengths." The first deals with investing while the other is that of generator of alternatives. These are the two areas that I am going to address below.

As I was reading over the qualities of a good teacher and as I reflected on what I personally need to work on in my teaching role, I noticed a word under the investing category that caught my eye, parents. I realized, after reading my article for class, that the ultimate teacher is the parent. This means that I as a teacher must work cooperatively with the parent to do what is best for the student. Until now I have seen myself as the person best qualified to educate the student. Now I see that without the parent’s support and input, students may never reach their fullest potential. I want the best for my students and enjoy watching them develop, but I need to see their growth in the context of the student’s home-life and the parent’s eye.

The next quality that I reflected upon is that of a generator of alternatives. Many times you hear students say that a certain teacher only teaches it one way, or that they don’t explain themselves very well. This is something that is hard to do as a math teacher, but it is also something necessary. Not all students learn the same way, so I must learn to teach the material in a variety of ways. One student may learn multiplication as 2*3=6 while another may realize that 2*3=2 added three times. The focus should be on that of student learning, no matter what method or manner they use to understand the material.

To improve on these two strengths, I plan on focusing more on the students as individuals and noticing both similarities and differences between them. I must then learn to quickly diagnose any difficulties that these individuals may have with the subject and provide more alternatives so everyone has an equitable opportunity to learn. Some of this knowledge will come from interaction with parents and getting input from them about their child. This will assist me in my teaching and the students in their growth and development both academically and personally. I also need to learn my material well enough so that I can generate more ways of presenting it to my students. My understanding must be up to a level where I can see the logic behind it in order to present it in meaningful ways.

All in all, I feel as though by addressing these two "weaker strengths," my effectiveness as a teacher will improve. I plan on improving these qualities so that I can continue to refine my other qualities as I strive to become the best teacher that I can be. If I succeed, then I know that my students will be the best learners and individuals that they can be.