Teach English in Yuexiulu Jiedao - Tianjin

Role of the TeacherI entered the real world as a fresh-faced and bright-eyed recent college graduate. My diploma was still shiny, my mind still idealistic, and as a theatre performance major I just knew Id be rich and famous before the year was outwhich made for an ironic story when reality struck me in the face, and I ended up back at my parents house, up to my ears in student loans. However, because I consider myself a positive and ambitious person, I threw my shoulders back, put a smile on my face, and began that inevitable yet epic search for my first grown-up job. Luckily enough, I ended up with not one but TWO jobs: the first as a professional stage actress for a theatre company and the second teaching at-risk students in a program called the Success Center for the local school district. I thought, Great! I get to follow my dreams AND pay the bills. My mother will be thrilled! Little did I know that paying the bills would not only guide my life in a direction I never saw myself going but also help me discover a passion I never knew existed: a passion for teaching. As a new teacher I discovered the role entails more responsibility than previously thought. Two such responsibilities include the use of creativity in progressive lesson plans and the evolving relationship between teacher and student. Any good teacher would say they truly enjoy seeing students succeed. However, to accomplish this as a teacher in todays world, one must use creativity to produce progressive lesson plans. Because of this, teaching philosophies should be continually changing, expanding, and enhancing depending on the age level one may be working with or even based on individual needs. However, there are a few constants to revert to time and time again. The first is that students find the classroom to be a safe and caring environment. Encouraging creativity is vital if students are to become innovative thinkers. While students discover what works for them, there will be plenty of mistakes made. Students need to feel secure in taking risks. Students should not be memorizing facts but learning to expand on these facts and form their own ideas and opinions. Dr. Brad Johnson claims, The focus of education today should be on the personalization and application of relevant knowledge rather than simply filling them with random facts (Johnson 9). This is the difference between knowing and truly learning something. For example, as an ESL teacher I want students to not just hear the english language but experience it as well. This will be accomplished through a creative atmosphere such as role-play activities. Learning is best when students are allowed to use their imaginations in relating new words or understanding new languages and in communicating with others around them with this new language. In this, they become teachers themselves and the teacher also a learner. Creating personal relationships with students is another essential responsibility of the modern educator. My first teaching job had me working with a group of at-risk students. My students were at-risk for a multitude of reasons including drug abuse, broken families, serious medical problems, and some had even served jail time or been homeless. On the other hand, I was blessed to be raised in a good home with a family who cared about me and taught me right from wrong. When I first began working with these students, I was shocked by their experiences especially at such a young age. To be successful with my students, I had to understand and acknowledge these experiences, yet at the same time instill core values and clear expectations. Judith Lanier, professor of education at Michigan State University states, [A good teacher] grasps that their most important role is to get to know each student as an individual (Lanier 1). Through my previous teaching experiences, I discovered the importance of using creativity to produce progressive lesson plans and innovative thinkers. Finally, as a new ESL teacher I hope to not only teach english but to also assist students in learning lifes lessons as well as build lasting relationships with these new students. Works Cited Johnson, Brad. "The Changing Role of the Teacher in the 21s Century." Teachers.Net Gazette teachers.net. 1 09 2010. 30 June t 2011 . Lanier, Judith. Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It's a Multifaceted Profession. 01 July 1997 edutopia.org. 30 June 2011 .