Teaching to Learn, Learning to Teach

·Carlos Fernandez: “I am becoming a teacher because I was greatly affected by many of

my teachers and I feel that it is my duty to do the same for other young people. Most of

the time I did not like high school, but I certainly liked hanging out with my friends. I want

to make a difference.”

·Cherilyn Holmes: “When I was in high school I tutored a student in Spanish and his grades

began to improve. I took a student who was failing Spanish and helped him become an ‘A’

student. I feel that teaching is the most rewarding career because as teachers we have

the ability to positively impact another person’s life.”

·Amy Keyishian: “I want to become a teacher because I believe the greatest weapon we as

human beings have to fight ignorance and the ‘evils’ of the world, is education. I want to

become a teacher because I love literature and there is so much in literature that we can

benefit from by applying its truths to ourselves. I am someone who likes to volunteer in

my spare time, and I see teaching as a way of helping others.”

·Rachel Montagno: “I wanted to drop out of school and this teacher would not allow me to.

She helped me find my place and encouraged me to go on to college. To this day, that

teacher remains my friend as well as my mentor. That is why I want to be a teacher.”

·LeShawnda Williams: “I want to become a teacher to teach the history that was never

taught to me when I was in school—the history of Africa and African people in America. I

went to a predominantly white high school, and it was a struggle just to make it through

each school day. I want to make it different for students—all students.”

JOIN THE CONVERSATION—WHY YOU WANT TO BE A TEACHER

Questions to Consider:

1. Whose ideas come closest to your own? Explain.


2. What or who inspired you to become a teacher? Why?
   3.Write a brief statement explaining why you want to be a teacher.

SECTION F: FIRST-SEMESTER EDUCATION STUDENTS REFLECT
ON THEIR EXPERIENCE

Alice Van Tassell and Maritza Perez were students in the same graduate secondary education
methods class for preservice teachers. It was their first class in the Hofstra University teacher edu-
cation program. In reflective practice journals they wrote during the semester, Alice and Maritza
discussed their feelings and ideas as they tried to decide if they really wanted to be teachers. As
you read about their experiences, think about your own ideas, concerns, and hopes as you pre-
pare to become a teacher.—Alan Singer

My Secondary Education General Methods
Reflective Practice Journal
By Alice Van Tassell

Excerpt A: A humbling experience.

Tonight we discussed our personal experience in high school, how it still shapes the way we
see ourselves, and how it influences our ideas about teaching. I was surprised at how many

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