Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEF

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Statement of Informed Beliefs Essay

Sara Buckles
Professor Carol Billing
EDUC 204 Families, Communities, & Culture
Fall 2015

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Statement of Informed Beliefs

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was ten years old. I was inspired by my third grade
teacher and decided form that moment on I wanted to be like her when I grew up. She was
someone who was kind, compassionate, understanding, and someone who was able to make
learning fun and exciting no matter what the topic was. The job of a teacher is a very important
and is an ever changing. The teacher needs to be able to adapt to whatever students that they
have in the classroom because each students has a different life at home from the culture and
religion to economically and socially. Teachers are people that are very important and if they
teach their students correctly their students will end up being inspired and go on to be amazing
human beings.
All Students Can Learn
From the moment that we are all born we begin to learn and will continue to learn until
the day we die. We learn the basics of human existence and how to survive to the specifics of a
desired field whether it be math, science, English, or something entirely different. All of these
things that we learn are taught to us by someone whether it be by a parent, teacher, or even ones
self. It is up to the student to be willing to do the work to understand the material that the teacher
is trying to teach. An effort must be made by the student otherwise the teacher is teaching
someone who is unwilling to learn and nothing they do will make an impact on the student. All
students are capable of learning and understanding the materials. Some of them may learn faster
or slower than others, some may learn best with a specific learning style such as visually or
verbally, some may need special attention because of a specific learning disability, or the student
may be handicapped in some way which might affect the way they learn.

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Whatever the reason it is the teachers job to teach the student as best as possible finding
new ways to communicate the material so that the student will be able to learn it. Teachers
encourage the development of various skills and behaviors by being role models and by
providing motivation for children to succeed in learning (p.19). A teachers job when it comes to
helping a student learn is that of the encourager. As teachers we can teach the material, make the
lessons fun and interesting, and help the students with whatever he or she is struggling with on a
daily basis. There are four categories of goals for teaching that were created by John Goodlad
(2004) which include academic, vocational, social/civic, and personal(p.47). As a teacher it is
important to not just focus on just one of these but on all four. I believe that it is important to
have well rounded students that not only know the material that is being taught but also the
social aspects of life as well.
To insure that all student learn the appropriate materials for their grade level is something
that is an important part of teaching. To insure this I would need to make sure that the student are
interested in what is being taught. If the student is interested in what they are learning then he or
she will more easily learn the material. As the teacher I will also make sure that those students
that are struggling or are accelerated or gifted learners will have ways of still succeeding and
not become frustrated or bored with the materials. This could be achieved through having more
assignments available if the ones assigned are completed that are a little more challenging or
being available to work on assignments with students that dont understand at recess or during
other parts of the day. I would want my students to be able to come to me for help on any of the
material.
Everyone learns differently so insuring that everyone will learn everything at the same
speed and well will be difficult. Each student will have had different experiences and ways in

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which they learn best and it is the teachers job to incorporate these objectives into their
curriculum. This might be through having writing assignments mixed in with something arty or
having the students spend the class time discussing the material mixed with short answer
questions on the reading. This way me as a teacher can reach more students and help them all
learn what is being taught instead of one specific way of teaching. Keeping the students on the
topic but making it fun and interesting will allow the students to more easily implement the
material into their everyday lives.
Teachers Expectations
We have all had that teacher that has pushed us to do our bests, try harder, and give
everything we had to each assignment that we turned in. We wanted to make the teacher proud
and meet the expectations that they had set aside for us because we knew if we did it would
make us and our teacher happy. These expectations pushed us to give our all in everything we
did. Teachers expectations push the students to do their best when working on assignments. This
striving for achievement creates a self-fulfilling prophecy in the students whether it is with low
expectations or high. Most students will only try as hard as they think their teacher expects them
to. When teachers want students to learn as much as possible it is important that they focus on
teaching the whole student. This includes both the emotional and mental parts of the student.
Teachers need to create high expectations for their students in all aspects of teaching to be able to
influence the whole students. Along with having high expectations it is important that the
teachers create individual goal structures for each student allowing them to grow at their own
rate keeping in mind that all students are different and will achieve the expectations that are
created just at their own pace.

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Having educational goals are important to have both from an educational stand point and
a personal one. With personal educational goals it is important to always be improving both as a
teacher and as a person. Learning new things all the time is important in growth and
development and when it comes to helping your students learn and better themselves. When
educational goals are set for your students it gives them something for them to strive for and new
standards for them to achieve. When the students meet the goals set aside for them it causes a
rise in self-confidence and self-esteem because they know that they can accomplish things that at
one point they might have thought impossible. These standards can show your students that you
expect good things from them and will hopefully insure that they will do their best when working
on school work and other basic activities.
Students Social Ecology Theory
When looking at a students social ecology it is important to notice that everything is
connected. The way that a student learns and is taught can and will affect every aspect of their
life. No matter who is teaching the child they are learning whether it be manners, how to behave
in social situations, or how to solve a certain math problem. The child is learning through
interactions with his or her teacher, family, and peers and hopefully in the process becoming a
more well-rounded student. When it comes to learning in a classroom it is important to take note
of the specific social ecology of each student and realize that each student will be different. No
two children will learn the exact same way and be receptive to the same type of teaching. Some
children will learn quicker and understand things more completely because the parents work with
them at home. Some may struggle and need extra help because they have no one to work with
them outside of the classroom. This also goes for behavior, if the parenting style of the children
works on the appropriate way to behave while at home this will allow for more polite students in

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the classroom. The same is true for parents who do not focus on manners, their children might
not be as well behaved in the classroom. If the teacher while in the classroom provides ways to
insure correct modeling for the students it might have an impact on how the students start to
behave in the classroom and at home as well. Another reason to connect the students social
ecology with their learning would be to help insure that the material that the student is learning is
more relatable. If you know what is important to the student or what their life is somewhat like
outside of school, knowing their microsystems, then you can create lessons to connect to the
students on more than just a surface level.
There are so many factors that impact a students learning from the way they are taught in
the classroom, what their home life is like, to the extra activities that they are a part of outside of
the classroom. The students life is directly related to each of these pieces and fit together like
pieces of a puzzle. A childs family plays an important part in their learning. If the parents spend
time working with children, or just spend time with the child at home the student might be more
willing to learn and pay attention in class. The opposite is true, if the child is given no attention
at home they will be less likely to pay attention at school. The culture of the child also plays an
important part of in how they learn. Some cultures encourage thoughts of collectivism which
emphases fitting in while some groups encourage thoughts of individualism which focuses more
on standing out. These two schools of thought can impact how a student learns and is all created
from the background of the student through his or her culture and how they were raised. The
community of a student also plays a major part when it comes to the childs learning. If a child
feels like they are a part of something and helping contribute to a greater good he or she is more
likely to participate more in certain activities. The child needs to feel like their impact is
important which is where their contributions to the community comes into play. By being part of

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a club, team, or volunteer organization will give the student that since of inclusion and hopefully
allow them to succeed in other aspects of their life.
Cultural Diversity Instruction
As a teacher it is important to focus not just on teaching from your own personal
background but also to relate what you are covering to relate to the life histories and experiences
of all your students ethnic backgrounds. It is necessary to teach the class about all different ways
of life, ways of behaving, ways that people live that is different than theirs. Students need to
understand that we are to teach everyone with the same respect there are things that make each
and every one of us different and individuals. The way that I myself will acknowledge these
differences in my classroom would be to at the beginning of the year talk about how everyone
comes from somewhere different, how our ancestors all came to America from different places. I
could ask my students if they knew were their ancestors or families came from. For that point I
could assign a project were each student creates a family tree that contains information about
were their family members come from along with other information such as what traditions and
rituals they think their ancestors might have brought with them from where they came. This way
I can make sure that in later lessons I can make sure to focus on the specific areas where my
students and their families came from. This also allows other students to understand that not
everyone comes from the same place and that we are all different and have different things to
contribute to not only the classroom but the community.
When looking at culture there are two basic way to handle it. The first way is through
cultural assimilation which means that if a student of another culture enters your classroom
they automatically become part of the larger culture group. This is what we know as the great
American melting pot, each person brings a special flavor to the dish and it mixes to make a

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giant seamless whole. Cultural Pluralism is a little different. It is the idea that the cultures that
are part of your classroom should be recognized and taught to along with the idea that we are all
part of a greater whole. This is the idea of a fruit salad. Each fruit is unique and special on their
own but when you put all of them together they become better but the individual pieces can still
be picked out of the dish. A little of both would more than likely be helpful when it comes to
teaching the students and even if all of the students are of the same cultural background it is
important to teach to other cultures if it is only to show your students that there are people in the
world who are different than them but who have just as much value.
Curriculum for all Learners
As a teacher it is important realize that each student learns differently and that with
different forms of instruction he or she will learn better or worse. It is also important to realize
that each student comes into the classroom with different life situations, believes, attitudes, and
ways of being raised. A teacher needs to make adjustments when it comes to the planning,
delivery, and assessment within each of their classes during the school year to meet to needs of
their students. To do this it is important to get to know your students and teach to their strengths
with instruction directed to every learning style. When delivering the material to the students it is
important to adapt to the situation like having to teach the same material again because your
students didnt understand it the first time.
When it comes to the assessment of oneself it is important to remember that it is
information to build on for the next year, things that might have work or didnt work are all
compiled and are available to look back on so that improvements can be made. It is important as
a teacher to constantly improve on what they are teaching and the assessment allows this
improvement to happen. As a teacher we are supposed to teach the students to the best of our

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ability and the assessments provided by our coworkers and our students are an important part
improving and teaching to the greatest potential. If we are told what we are doing that seems like
we need improving we can work to fix it and become better otherwise we will end up being
complacent and our mistakes of mill become habit.
To insure that the students are improving a learning to the best of their ability the teacher
must teach to the students skills when they come into the classroom and then slowly make the
material more and more challenging for the student. This will allow the student to improve their
skills over time and will be easier to adapt to students that are more or less intelligent because
they can be given assignments based on their understanding but each one will still be challenged
to a degree that they can handle so they wont get discourage. Each student should be given the
opportunity to succeed and any help that they need. It the child knows that you have high
expectations for them they will be more than likely strive to meet those expectations. As a
teacher it is important to show your students that they have worth, are valued, and that their
learning is important to you through every aspect of your teaching.
Educators are some of the most valued members of society. No matter who you are or
where you come from there was a teacher who influenced you in some way. To be teacher is the
most rewarding and important job that one can have. As a teacher one is influencing every
generation helping raise future doctors, scientists, engineers, and inventors. As an instructor it is
important to work towards meeting the needs of every student through innovative lessons to
individual relationships with the students. As a teacher it is important to teach the student but
also to inspire a love of learning and an encouraging atmosphere for each student in the hopes
that each child will succeed the world outside the classroom someday.

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References
Berns, R.M. (2013). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

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