Vision Statement

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. (Henry Adams) I
feel like this quote perfectly explains my vision for teaching and the reason I decided to choose a
profession in education. I want to affect my future students and athletes as positively as I
possibly can, not only through their education but in their daily lives. I hope to achieve this
vision by not only possessing the best qualities and skills a teacher can have, but also by putting
my students first and creating a student-centered classroom.
There are many essential qualities a teacher should possess but to list a few I would say a
teacher should be committed, professional, and passionate. Because I am going to be a teacher
and a coach, I will be faced with many obstacles. I will teach in the classroom for up to 6 or
more hours, I will have practices, I will have lessons to plan for and sometimes my workday
could stretch up to 16 hours on nights of games. A teacher/coach could easily get discouraged
and want to quit, but with commitment they can conquer these obstacles and see them as
opportunities. Being a professional in all situations is another essential quality for teachers,
especially when interacting with a parent, co-worker, or a student. Abiding by the Educators
Code of Ethics is a simple way for a teacher to uphold their professionalism. Another essential
quality a teacher must have is passion. A teacher must be passionate about their students and
learning. If an educator models the love of learning and shows enthusiasm about their job then
they can influence positive emotional states in their students. After all, enthusiasm is infectious!
A positive emotional state is very valuable because it, leads to improved flexibility in behavior,
memory and judgment. (Jensen, 75) A teacher must also be passionate enough to continue their
own learning and improve their profession in order to provide the best education possible for
their students.

One major skill a teacher must possess is adaptability. You are faced with numerous
students throughout your career, all with different skill levels and learning styles. You will have
advanced students and the not so advanced students. You will have visual learners, kinesthetic
learners and you will have auditory learners, all in one class. As a teacher, you must find a way
to adapt to each students individual needs accordingly. The unpredictable is almost always going
to occur. Sometimes that means changing your lesson plans, or pushing back due dates for
students who were not able to make it to class. Not everything is going to go the way you plan,
and that is something a teacher with the skill adaptability will overcome.
I feel like being an effective teacher goes hand-in-hand with having a student-centered
classroom. There are a multitude of elements and strategies a teacher can use to be effective with
their students, one being cooperative learning. This is an effective strategy because it involves
structuring the class around small groups that work together in a way that each group members
success is dependent of the groups success, which in turns has the student becoming more
engaged and motivated. Each time we use cooperative learning, we are releasing the power of
situations to promote thinking, learning, and collaboration (Kagan, 2009). When planning a
lesson using the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, an effective teacher asks, What do I
want the student to understand? and, How will I assess their understanding? Also, an effective
teacher uses the 7 critical factors of learning to further enhance the students knowledge and
learning experience. An effective teacher uses authentic assessments in the classroom because it
challenges the students to apply what they have learned into real-world tasks which is a great
way to display the students full range of skills and knowledge. I feel the best way to reduce
restlessness and reinforce the content in my classroom would be to incorporate movement into

my lessons. Movement is an effective cognitive strategy that strengthens learning, improves

memory and retrieval, and enhances learner motivation and morale (Jensen, 62).
I cannot help but refer to Richard Dufours article, Why Teach? when I think of my
vision as a teacher. It is true that we face formidable obstacles. It is true that we must deal with
major frustrations. But it is also true that our profession, perhaps more than any other, gives us a
unique opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of others. If a teacher possesses the
best qualities and skills and effectively create a student-centered classroom, they will most
definitely make a positive difference in their students lives. The reason I decided to become a
coach/teacher is because of some of the most influential people in my life; my teachers and
coaches. I hope as an educator, I, too, can be the reason my students choose this rewarding
profession one day and inspire and challenge them to become better individuals.

Citations
DuFour, R. (2014). "Why Teach?" Solution Tree, Inc.
http://www.allthingsplc.info/blog/view/269/why-teach
Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching With The Brain In Mind. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Kagan, S. & Kagan, M. (2009). Kagan Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA.