Unit 1: Who am I and who I want to become
Beginning a career as a teacher is kind of like standing in front of the menu
at the restaurant. You are faced with many choices and decisions. It can be
overwhelming to think about what kind of teacher you want to be, who you will teach,
what kind of classroom you will foster, what kind of impact will you make, what teaching
practices are best, and the list goes on. As we take steps towards becoming teachers,
we will have many choices and they may involve some risk seeing as we have yet
to “taste the food”.
The strain of making choices can be alleviated by developing guiding principles and foundational
beliefs. Clarifying the purpose, role and goal of a teacher will help to form these underlying values.
What is the purpose of the teacher? I personally believe the purpose of a teacher is to take the lead
in building a trusting relationship with their students in order to facilitate both academic and character
growth. The teacher’s role is to provide a calm, structured and enjoyable environment in which the
student can gain the confidence needed to take risks in language learning and to positively contribute
to the classroom community. The next integral question in teacher identity is defining our role. What is
the teacher’s role in the classroom? What is the teacher’s role in the students learning? This may
change in different contexts, with different proficiency levels and with different end goals. My view is that
the overarching role of the teacher is to be a guide for the students, to inspire confidence, to take the
lead in fostering community and to create and maintain a healthy classroom environment. Finally, what
the goal of the teacher? Well, the specific goals of a classroom teacher will obviously change from
situation to situation however I believe it’s helpful for me to articulate a grand goal. I say the goal of the
teacher is to lead their students in becoming independent learners who are curious, self motivated and
able to problem solve for themselves. As teachers we won’t always be there to explain everything to
them and so the greatest gift we can give them is the tools to bravely solve the language frustrations
they will inevitably encounter in the future. As a TESL student entering into the teaching profession, I
hope that having an anchor to my teaching identity will help me in the many choices I will need to make
along the way.
beliefs. Clarifying the purpose, role and goal of a teacher will help to form these underlying values.
What is the purpose of the teacher? I personally believe the purpose of a teacher is to take the lead
in building a trusting relationship with their students in order to facilitate both academic and character
growth. The teacher’s role is to provide a calm, structured and enjoyable environment in which the
student can gain the confidence needed to take risks in language learning and to positively contribute
to the classroom community. The next integral question in teacher identity is defining our role. What is
the teacher’s role in the classroom? What is the teacher’s role in the students learning? This may
change in different contexts, with different proficiency levels and with different end goals. My view is that
the overarching role of the teacher is to be a guide for the students, to inspire confidence, to take the
lead in fostering community and to create and maintain a healthy classroom environment. Finally, what
the goal of the teacher? Well, the specific goals of a classroom teacher will obviously change from
situation to situation however I believe it’s helpful for me to articulate a grand goal. I say the goal of the
teacher is to lead their students in becoming independent learners who are curious, self motivated and
able to problem solve for themselves. As teachers we won’t always be there to explain everything to
them and so the greatest gift we can give them is the tools to bravely solve the language frustrations
they will inevitably encounter in the future. As a TESL student entering into the teaching profession, I
hope that having an anchor to my teaching identity will help me in the many choices I will need to make
along the way.
The choices we consciously or unconsciously make in the classroom are driven by our past
learning experiences and beliefs about education. As I hone in on my identity as a teacher I will
need to take some time to reflect on who I am and who I want to become. Who I am? Well on the
surface a white female born and raised in a small English speaking Manitobian town. I’m a native
English speaker who has studied 2 other languages other than my own, French and Chinese. I
attended a English school but took French class from grades 4-12. In my early adulthood I had the
opportunity to be immersed in Chinese and learn Chinese in a classroom environment for a short time.
These are my only formal language learning experiences. To be honest, I don’t identify as someone
who is particularly good at learning other languages and I can’t say I loved learning French or Chinese.
That said, I’ve always enjoyed English and excelled in my ELA classes. My parents read to me a lot as a
child and I’ve always had a strong intuition regarding language. I’ve also always enjoyed teaching and
have been affirmed by others in my abilities as a teacher. I love to help others and enjoy the challenge of
coaching a student along until “things click”.
I believe classrooms are communities and that the relationships and experiences we have while learning
can deeply affect us in meaningful and lasting ways. I personally have been greatly influenced by the
different teachers I have had during my education career. When a teacher loves what they do, it shows!
Teachers have challenged my thinking, improved my character, build my confidence, encouraged me to
not give up, and inspired me to contribute my best to the world. I guess that brings me to who I want to
become as a teacher. I’m thankful for both the amazing teachers I’ve had as well as the teachers that
weren’t so great, for I’ve learnt from both. I think it comes down to this, I want to be a teacher that
sees the best in my students. I want to have a strong enough character to be able to see through
classroom problems and envision the potential of my students. I want to be a positive presence in the
lives of my students and have the strength to lead our classroom community into new broader horizons.
Well perhaps this is all a little idealistic, sure, maybe it is, but you have to have vision to get you through
the rough patches. My job isn’t to change my students, that will be their choice. My job is to lead and
create opportunities to grow academically and personally to the best of the professional capacity.
learning experiences and beliefs about education. As I hone in on my identity as a teacher I will
need to take some time to reflect on who I am and who I want to become. Who I am? Well on the
surface a white female born and raised in a small English speaking Manitobian town. I’m a native
English speaker who has studied 2 other languages other than my own, French and Chinese. I
attended a English school but took French class from grades 4-12. In my early adulthood I had the
opportunity to be immersed in Chinese and learn Chinese in a classroom environment for a short time.
These are my only formal language learning experiences. To be honest, I don’t identify as someone
who is particularly good at learning other languages and I can’t say I loved learning French or Chinese.
That said, I’ve always enjoyed English and excelled in my ELA classes. My parents read to me a lot as a
child and I’ve always had a strong intuition regarding language. I’ve also always enjoyed teaching and
have been affirmed by others in my abilities as a teacher. I love to help others and enjoy the challenge of
coaching a student along until “things click”.
I believe classrooms are communities and that the relationships and experiences we have while learning
can deeply affect us in meaningful and lasting ways. I personally have been greatly influenced by the
different teachers I have had during my education career. When a teacher loves what they do, it shows!
Teachers have challenged my thinking, improved my character, build my confidence, encouraged me to
not give up, and inspired me to contribute my best to the world. I guess that brings me to who I want to
become as a teacher. I’m thankful for both the amazing teachers I’ve had as well as the teachers that
weren’t so great, for I’ve learnt from both. I think it comes down to this, I want to be a teacher that
sees the best in my students. I want to have a strong enough character to be able to see through
classroom problems and envision the potential of my students. I want to be a positive presence in the
lives of my students and have the strength to lead our classroom community into new broader horizons.
Well perhaps this is all a little idealistic, sure, maybe it is, but you have to have vision to get you through
the rough patches. My job isn’t to change my students, that will be their choice. My job is to lead and
create opportunities to grow academically and personally to the best of the professional capacity.
All this to say, I feel I am just at the beginning of my teaching journey, staring up at the “menu” in front
of me with many choices to be made. Instead of thinking of it as overwhelming, perhaps I need to
reframe it as exciting and full of interesting possibilities. Many different flavours, combinations and
presentation styles to try and experiment with. Bon Appetit!
of me with many choices to be made. Instead of thinking of it as overwhelming, perhaps I need to
reframe it as exciting and full of interesting possibilities. Many different flavours, combinations and
presentation styles to try and experiment with. Bon Appetit!
References
[Photograph of Cafe Menu] (2015). Retrieved from:
Moss, L. (Photographer). (2017, May). Items from the To Share section of the menu
[Photograph]. Retrieved from https://njmonthly.com/articles/restaurant-reviews/subterranean
-urban-luau-cellar-335-jersey-city/
[Photograph]. Retrieved from https://njmonthly.com/articles/restaurant-reviews/subterranean
-urban-luau-cellar-335-jersey-city/
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