For YOU!

Hello Kinder Friends,

Thank you for joining me here for Teacher Appreciation week. I am sharing with you a post that I shared on Teaching Blog Addict for Time Out Tuesday. Originally I was asked to reflect on my teaching experience. I am posting this here today as a way of saying thank you for your support and encouragement. I appreciate the help and inspiration that you have given to me. As I was creating the post, I realized how lucky I am to be able to do what I always wanted to do and teach. I have always known how fortunate I was to be able to work with wonderful teachers and now through blogging, I feel even richer because of the blogging community.

  

Throughout my career as an educator, I have been blessed to work alongside some

exceptional teachers. These teachers have made a very profound impact on my teaching by

motivating and inspiring me to set and reach my professional goals. I have often thought of

the traits these educators each possess and what it is that makes each of them successful

and motivating inside the classroom and inspiring to the teachers that work alongside

them.

 Each of these extraordinary teachers has a true

passion for teaching. This passion is

evident daily and their

enthusiasm for children is often contagious. These teachers firmly

believe that what they are doing

 will make a difference in a child’s life. They each have

moved beyond the goal of making a difference within one child, to making a difference in

many.

 These teachers often take on the role of the

advocate. Their impact on children can

often be seen outside the classroom and on a broader level. It is their willingness to

be an advocate for children on educational issues and beyond that is commendable. They

are not afraid to go against popular opinion if it is in the best interest of the child.

Often times this advocacy leads to improving lives of the children they teach and the

families they serve.

Successful and highly

effective teachers are always evaluating their practices and

constantly working to improve their effectiveness inside the classroom. They set realistic

and obtainable goals and they continually monitor and evaluate their progress. They

understand that they are as

much a “learner” inside their own classroom as the children

they teach. They understand that a teacher is a learner for life and they continually work

to improve their craft through book studies, staff development, collaborative teaching,

goal setting and self-evaluation. They understand that collaborative teaching brings forth

the strengths of many teachers and ultimately they believe teachers working with

teachers collaboratively, makes a critical impact within their own classrooms.

These teachers exhibit a

love of learning that is evident to the children they teach and

to their colleagues. Additionally, they are not afraid to take risks and try new things and

are open to new ideas and new ways of teaching if the goal is to improve the quality of a

child's education. It is evident that this type of educator is not afraid to try and fail.

Fundamentally they believe that a failure provides new opportunities for future successes.

They understand that teaching the exact same lesson year after year will not reach the

diverse needs of the ever changing population in our classrooms.

Above and beyond all, an extraordinary teacher has the unique ability to identify,

appreciate and

value the unique diversity that makes up his or her classroom.

An exceptional teacher understands that before formal education begins, a community

of learners must be established. They have

the unique ability to build a community of

learners naturally

, while holding high expectations for all. These educators project a

climate of mutual respect and an infectious love of learning. Furthermore, they create

an environment that promotes the belief that we all learn from each other and that our

own lives can be positively impacted through our interactions with each other. This belief

promotes and creates a respectful and nourishing environment where all who enter can

flourish and grow.

 As I continue to evaluate my role as an Early Childhood Educator and strive to reach my

professional goals, I will look to these extraordinary teachers for mentorship, support and

inspiration. For they are the ones that continually ignite the fire and passion I have for

teaching. And that passion and fire will burn within me forever.

My apologies for the formatting...