William Arthur Ward, an American author, expressed, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” This statement resonates with the core of who I want to be as a teacher. On the Professional Dispositions Assessment, the criteria that rang the truest were the importance of learning about students’ communities, a classroom environment that develops students’ self-confidence, and a belief that all students can learn. While it is difficult to rank, my personal disposition as a teacher centers on inspiring students. The environment I create in my classroom stems from what I believe and students, whether consciously or not, will pick up on it. My belief that all students are unique, worthy of respect and that all students can learn will be evident in my words, my tone, and my expectations for growth.
While progressing through the Grand Canyon University program, I have grown in my collaborative abilities as an educator. In discussion forums, I have met future teachers with such a variety of viewpoints. It has allowed me to practice giving and receiving feedback on lesson plan ideas, brainstorming ways to put educational theories into practice, and acknowledging how each subject impacts the learning in another subject. I am no longer just an English teacher; I am part of a community of educators who have similar goals, but different paths to get there. Rather than feeling personally criticized, I have learned to take feedback from a peer as just another teacher supporting my endeavors to make the best happen for all students. I have also grown in my collaborative efforts with other English teachers at my school. Creating lesson plans is no longer a solo effort, but a group effort where ideas are sewn together to create a better lesson than I could have written alone. For instance, my mentor teacher has done the same activity the first week of school for years. A new teacher joined the team and he presented an activity that forces students to debate the morality of who stays on a deserted island to make a life and who flies home on a helicopter. It allowed us a break from the syllabus that students face in every period, while also providing an opportunity to get to know them from the start.
Finally, the Professional Dispositions Assessment has made it clear that cultural sensitivity is an area of opportunity for me. As a human, I strongly believe in the dignity of other cultures. As a teacher, I have not experienced diversity enough to recognize how my classroom environment and teaching methods need to vary in response. Dooley and Mays (2014) conducted a study where pre-service teachers spent time in service learning to see how it influenced their attitudes and impacted their literacy lessons. The conclusion stated that all participating teachers “self-identified as more knowledgeable, self-confident, and committed to approaching literacy as community practice rather than simply a school subject. They [believed in] community engagement as essential to their culturally responsive literacy pedagogy” (Dooley & Mays, 2014, p. 56). While I have always believed in the importance of understanding my students’ cultures, I have not proven this in my actions. I intend to serve in my school community, thus getting to know our families while developing a respect and sensitivity for the unique place I work.
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