Opportunity Gap Narrative

“Do we want our children to start the year refreshed and ready to learn? Or burned out and resentful? It’s something every teacher should carefully

Taking on the role as a teacher puts me in a leadership role. I chose for my artifact the ESO online training from Mr. Moss, EDEE 4330 Math class. Math seems to be the subject across the board most people is afraid of, but the ESO training provided fatal information for student’s success. I understand that I am responsible for setting an example for my students that I would be proud of them to emulate. I would love for my students to follow in my footprints and make a difference in others’ lives. It has been said, “it takes a village to raise a child”, and I know that I can be most effective when I reach out to families, colleagues, and the community, to employ the approach. It takes all that to raise well-adjusted productive members of our community, being it locally or

What I learned in the documentary called “The First Year” is the aspects of each teacher’s way they deal a classroom with students as first-timers. Especially when coming across to many challenges and the struggle they had during their first time ever as educators. Watching what lengths they will go to for the benefit of the students is admirable. The teachers who are into five separate schools in the Los Angeles area are known to be George Acosta who teaches English as a second language, Joy Kraft-Watts teaches high school history, Genevieve Debose teaches middle school language arts and social studies, Maurice Rabb teaches kindergarten, Nate Monley teaches fifth-grade bilingual education, and Andrew Glass teaches elementary special education.

The best thing that came out of this learning experience is my appreciation for the younger grades. I always thought that I wanted to a third grade teacher, but I do not think I need to limit myself. I had so much fun just watching the kids all interact with one another and have so many different thoughts. They truly liked learning and thought of their teacher as almost a mom like figure. I hope to instill this in my future classroom and to be in a school system that is ready to help

I was recently put to the test of how prepared I am for a career in teaching. Half-way through Fundamentals in Methodology, I was called to substitute a pre-k, class with 30 students. Thirty, 3 and 4 year olds! I began this assignment without any time to prepare before entering the classroom. Upon entering the classroom, realized how deficient the classroom was. I had already started reading the book “Excellent 11” and knew that the classroom was a critical component in teaching.

In that class, the student learns about different teaching methods and how to care for children. As part of the curriculum, we volunteered at Long Elementary as teacher aides. Working with 4th grade students and observing an everyday class room was such an awe-inspiring experience. I had a completely new perspective about teachers. I have so much more respect as before. Teachers put so much time and effort into helping children for their benefits. I knew from the first day I helped with Ms. Williams’ 4th grade class, how much a teacher is a positive influence on children. There is an overwhelming feeling when you help a student with a problem and in return they give you the most heart-warming smile. The experience at Long Elementary helped me make my final decision on whether I wanted to teach elementary or secondary school. As much as I enjoyed helping elementary students, in my heart I knew secondary school was the path God had in store for me.

Welcome back! Barnegat teachers are the reason that I pursued a career in education, they shaped my values, inspired me to work hard, instilled a never-give-upattitude, and taught me that there is never a wrong time to do the right thing. The caring environment, passion for teaching, and love for children that they showed are the things I remember and ultimately why I chose to return to Barnegat as a teacher. In the opening address, I shared with you just a few of my memories of elementary school, and from the recent feedback, we all have them in common and they drive us each day.

During my service learning hours I had the privilege to be part of Mrs. Martell’s kindergarten classroom. Since I am going for my degree in early childhood, the principle thought placing me in my area of interest would be just right. As I began to help out the teacher, I realized that she had been teaching for more than twenty years and thought she’d be perfect for my teacher interview. Mrs. Martell is a teacher at Cutler Ridge Elementary school, she has been teaching for twenty-four years at this same exact school and in the same exact classroom. She has always stayed in kindergarten grade level but is soon thinking about maybe trying a new grade level. She has obtained her masters degree in reading for kinder through twelfth grade. She always knew that working with children was her passion and loved helping them out in many areas. As I was interviewing her I truly noticed her love for the children’s mental, physical, intellectual, and emotional development. She not only cared about the work part, but also really cared about the entire child. As an educator for early childhood, that is an essential and critical thing to have. In her perspective, individualized teaching means teaching to children based on their needs. She understands that each child goes at their own pace, have different abilities and interests and tried her best to establish an atmosphere where each child has the ability to learn and be part of the activity. She has first hand experience on different

I learned quickly that being an effective teacher is an art that takes time and devotion. Many times, teachers are not provided with the necessary materials in order to maintain the various learning styles in a classroom. It is up to the teacher to create an environment where students can succeed. This is a full time job, meaning that a teacher’s work is not done once they leave the school. A teacher must contribute a significant amount of time and effort in order to see positive results in the school and in his or her own classroom. After observing my cooperating teacher’s strategies and learning more about the profession, I knew that I was going in the right direction with my life. I took a significant amount of knowledge away from this experience and have continued to strive to be the type of educator that I was blessed to work with during this experience. .

America is often referenced with the idea of the “American Dream” and the “Land of Opportunity.” For centuries, people have flocked to America in hopes of a better life and greater opportunity. However, if they are searching for equal opportunity, America is not the country that they will find it in. Success in the United States is limited to the opportunities available to the individual, and without equal distribution of opportunity, financial success is not reachable to those in the lower classes of American society. Notable educators and authors such as Gregory Mantsios and Diana Kendall have brought the problems of American society to attention, claiming that the rich are getting richer and the poor continue to remain poor. In his essay, “Class in America – 2009,” Mantsios discusses the myths that revolve around class in America, and then refutes these myths by describing the realities of the society Americans live in. Similarly, in her essay, “Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption,” Kendall writes about the realities of the classes in America while advocating for a change in the way the media portrays the class issues. The United States was founded on the belief of equal opportunity for all individuals, and many still believe that equal opportunity still holds true today. Despite the way media masks the class issues, empirical evidence and research show that equal opportunity does not exist in America due to

McCourt’s first day of teaching was rather unusual. He was anxious and completely unprepared. The thought of being an invisible man at the front of the room causes him to forget his opening statements. Suddenly a student throws a sandwich at him. McCourt takes it, and while the class expects a punishment, he eats it instead (McCourt, 16). Like McCourt’s first day teaching at a public high school, my first day helping out at the Albion After School Program was a lot to handle. It was my first time helping out students younger than 15 years of age. These kids were restless and at a point in their lives were cognitive development is crucial. Coming from a completely different background made me feel out of place the first day, however as the day went by I grew comfortable and the kids seemed to enjoy my presence. I was able to teach some kids cool ways that I learned how to solve certain scenarios/problems.

Have you ever been so nervous that you cannot eat, sleep, or do anything productive? It was September 3rd, 2015, the dreaded day of the open house was upon me. For the weeks leading up to this event all I could do was worry about if the children would like me, if the parents would like me, or would I be irrelevant to them since I am only the teacher’s assistant. These thoughts would go around and around in my mind day after day night after night. All the schooling I had put myself through the last few years was leading up to this moment, the beginning of “real life”. A few weeks before, I was hired on as an assistant pre-k teacher for a private preschool and kindergarten. I was so excited to finally have a job that did not consist of me hanging clothes or dealing with money but actually had to do with my area of study, early childhood education.

I am attending Concord College to further my education. After graduating with an Elementary Education Degree, I would like to teach in an elementary school in Southern West Virginia. Preferably, I would like to teach in a kindergarten environment. While teaching I plan to further my career with a Master’s degree. I would like to be able to reach those children that aren’t as fortunate as others. As a teacher I will not only teach the children, but they in turn, will teach me. Education is one of the most important aspects to the success of the country. It is important for everyone to feel a part of that success; therefore, I feel strongly about teaching students to succeed.

This is a completely opposite project from our first round, we are finally living in society again, no longer out in the woods everyday(which I admittedly miss), and are working with people 24/7. Working in a school is also very emotionally taxing, however, seeing the immediate gratification of a kid finally understanding what you are teaching or running up and hugging you because they passed all their classes and were so proud of themselves makes it all worth it. Although I spend my day teaching, I am shown something very important by a child everyday. The kids I work with show such love and care for their friends, cousins, little brothers or sisters, and teachers that it astounds me. They make me reevaluate what is truly important in my life and make me immensely grateful for the family I had and for growing up in such an amazing place that I did. It amazes me that even with so little people will be so giving and I believe that these kids represent the best in humanity, although at times they frustrate me watching them grow and learn has been more beneficial than I ever thought it could

“When you teach Kindergarten you need stock in pencils, glue sticks, expo markers and bandaids.” (Hollenbaugh) I observed Mrs. Hollenbaugh’s kindergarten class for two different days. The first day I went was more based on assignments the students had and they did more reading. The next day was more for fun, plus they had specials. At this point the “big” kids, as they would say, were having Istep so we had to whisper in the morning which was great to see the kids be able to transition with the circumstances. Hollenbaugh had many ways to work around this and backup plans already set to do incase they needed them.