Professionalism

I always want to strive to be as professional as I can in my own classroom and all around my school. I know that some teachers get sucked in to the gossip mill that is the teachers lounge. I received some great advice this semester, do not hang out in the teachers lounge. Now don't get me wrong I will not be totally anti social but talking about other students or other teachers in that kind of setting is a good way to start your career off on a bad note.

Learning Styles

I really want to take the time to learn each of my students learning style. This way I can pin point certain activities towards them. Yes, I know I can not do this each and every time I teach a lesson but I can incorporate different learning styles when I can.

Tech Teaching

I will definitely be integrating technology into every class that I use, whether it be with a Power Point presentation to accompany a lecture or just using the overhead projector to project maps or pictures for students to see. I would also like to use a Podcast as well for my students. A very interesting way to use this is when I am going to miss class I can record my lectures or even record student presentations. I also want to utilize websites for class instructions.

Making History Relevant

I truly want to make history relevant to my students, I want to share my love for the most interesting subject in the world. I want my students to understand that understanding what happened in the past is very relevant to what is happening today. I want to also make learning history fun and interesting, not just the same old lecture but actual hands on learning. In my experience teachers who impacted me in history exuded the love that they had for the subject. That is is exactly what I want to do for my history students.

Please take the time....

I would only be so blessed and lucky to end up being a teacher like Randy Pausch...please watch this video!

Prepared!

As I am starting on this journey of being a teacher I know one thing about my teaching philosophy...being prepared is half the battle. Not only will being prepared with detailed lesson plans help my class move along smoothly it will allow for minimal interruptions and distractions due to behavior. When my students know what to expect there will be less room for error. I guess this, in today's terms, is what is known as classroom management and I am whole heartedly for it. It just cuts down on the what ifs? I also want to take advantage of spontaneous moments as well but have a nice concrete lesson plan as my back up. I guess this could be one of my teaching philosophies...the importance of management in the classroom.