What kind of teacher do I wish to be?

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        I wish to be a teacher with a social constructivist perspective because I believe it to be the best way to help students discover what they are capable of, to help them become the best versions of themselves. Education is something inside as well as outside of the classroom, I want to be the teacher who is there to facilitate the learning process and help the students start on a path which will lead to further discovery outside the classroom.

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        Throughout the duration of my program, I have learned that, in order to be a good teacher, we must strive to create an inclusive environment and learn as much as we can about the students we have in our classrooms. It is important to understand where it is that they are coming from in order to be able to help them. During my second and third internships, I was placed in a very culturally diverse school and it led me to understand that students truly have their own individual needs and problems and as a teacher, I needed to keep that in mind when situations came up. Furthermore, during my final internship, I was placed in an indigenous school in Listuguj, Quebec. It is then that I saw the intergenerational trauma that is still deeply affecting the community and its students. I have never been surer of the need to know your students and where they are coming from than I have been completing this experience.

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I have always believed that creating a student-centered classroom was essential since students need the opportunity to learn and understand the material using their own methods and experiences. That said, I realized just how difficult it can be to stand in front of the classroom as the teacher and remember to let students talk and share their understanding rather than doing it myself. However, as difficult as it can be, creating a truly student-centered learning environment has so many positive effects and really makes a difference in the functioning of the classroom and in the amount that students learn. 

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       Finally, education should teach students to understand the way the world works and to be curious individuals with a thirst for knowledge, having the teacher there to guide them in their quest to find themselves.