Running: Teacher Interview Project

Teacher Interview Project James Christian Beavers III Ivy Tech Community-College

Running: Teacher Interview Project

INTASC Standards for Beginning Teachers Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) - www.ccsso.org The Learner and Learning Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice The teacher engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner. This assignment allowed me to interview a teacher I had in the past and get there aspect and philosophy on teaching. It also allowed me to look in to myself and see if this is that path for me to take. This assignment allowed me to assets my thoughts on whether I am going in to the fright field and to see if I have what it takes to be a teacher that molds kids and people that will run things after my generation

Running: Teacher Interview Project

When I was in high school I struggled in a number of my classes, especially my junior and senior years. I also have dyslexia. My mother thought I should have gotten training for it or at least received help in class if I need it. Thats when I meet Mrs. Bender. Shes was a Special Education Teacher when I was in high school. Now shes an administrator in that department in the school. But she still likes to go help kids stay on top of their work or and help with tests. Mrs. Bender first got into teaching and helping out in in the Special Ed area as a teenager. Her father was the head of the special education department at school she attended when she was younger and she helped him out at times. She went to college and got a degree in Elementary Education K-7 and then a degree at Ball State in special education K-12. When she got out of college, she taught 3rd grade for 6 years in Florida. After that she moved to Indiana and taught Special Ed at Indiana Creek. She moved to McKenzie Career Center in 1999 work with high school students with disabilities and kids that need an extra help in class work. The most effective trait she has is kindness towards everyone. The other very important trait she has is she understood how to keep current and how relate to younger generations without looking crazy or a complete dork. She is also great at motivating kids to stay on top of their work without being aggressive or having a nasty attitude towards someone. She did all she could for someone that was slipping in school. She would make sure they got their grades up, help them with test, made she we turned in our homework, and made sure we did it. Mrs. Bender is a caring, loving woman, whos passionate about the work she does. She has so many positive attributes; I could only hope to identify with maybe half of them. We are both caring people. We enjoy helping kids and others become better people. We both never give up. She encourages kids to not give up on school. She also keeps pushing the belief that there are better things after high school. I keep my friends and family from giving up, and every time

Running: Teacher Interview Project

they do Im in their corner giving them a pep talk, trying to get them to push on. In education you have to have patience and Mrs. Bender has plenty of that. I like to think I have patience, maybe not as much as she has. But over time it might become like hers. The last thing we really have in common is the belief that for the classroom to work it cannot be just the teacher and student. Parents have to get involved with their kids and once that happen the team can do great things together. The biggest difference between me and her, I would have to say, is I am shy. Sometime it will take me a while to get to know someone or even talk to someone I dont know. She loves people with a passion and has no problem getting to know people. I guess another difference is she knew she wanted to teach from when she was a teenager. I, on the other hand, did not know what I wanted to do for a living and still struggles to know if this is the correct path for me. All I know for now is the more I am a student teacher the more I like teaching and being around kids. Mrs. Benders philosophy in a classroom was we have to work as a team. This could be getting parents involved, working with a classmate to understand the lesson, or getting help from the teacher after school or before. Another philosophy of hers is if you work hard and stay on top of your work you can achieve anything. She also believes you have to have respect for one another and thats the only way you are going to get to a student. When you have to talk to a students parent start with a positive then the negative and then finish it with another positive. The most important philosophy of hers that I like is you never give up. Its a lesson everyone should learn. You never know; the next try of whatever youre doing may make everything great for you. Mrs. Bender was really insightful, She taught me if youre going to be in a career you need to be passionate about it or youre just going to hate doing it every day. Now that schools

Running: Teacher Interview Project

are going to year round, you really need to be dedicated to teaching. Not like some people who get in to teaching so they can be off in the summer. Your teaching staying current is a forever job you have to do. You have to know the newest technology to stay in touch with the kids. You have to know what current with kids, like whats in and whats out or you wont get across to them. Even out of high school, I am still learning from her and shes always giving me new insight or advice when I see her. Thats the type of teacher I want to be like. This profession is important and going into it shouldnt be taken lightly. Youre molding young kids minds. They take your teachings with them for the rest of their lives. At first I really didnt think about that when I decided to go in this direction as a career. I was more worried about my sickle cell, like if I got sick I could get a substitute and still be able to keep my job. Then in summers I would have time to rest. Ive learned that its about the kids and doing your best to get them ready for life. Hopefully you do a great job so one day you will see these kids as adults and you say wow! Being a teacher is really not a light thing. There is a lot of responsibility going in to it. You go to school and get a degree. Then you have to take a test every 4 years to keep you credentials. Teaching is a forever learning job. You have to learn what kids are into in order to keep them interested. You have to keep up in the technology so you know the best ways to get you message across. One important thing I have learned is to never give up and always keep pushing a child to do their best no matter what. The biggest lesson I have learned was teaching is about the kids, and to mold young minds so that they are ready to take care of the world when its their turn.

Running: Teacher Interview Project

Reference Page
Bender, P. B. (2012, September 09). Teacher Interview. (J. C. Beavers, Interviewer) Koch, J. (2012). Teach. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.