Final Literature Review (2)
pdf
keyboard_arrow_up
School
University at Buffalo *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
548
Subject
Communications
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
Pages
5
Uploaded by AgentFlag2955
Kelly O’Neill
COM 300
3 July 2023
Final Literature Review
In life it is important to plan out major life goals and know how to achieve them. Your
career is the biggest and most important life goal because you will spend about forty to fifty
years doing it everyday. No matter what your chosen career is, it is important to know what will
be expected of you and plan accordingly not only to get your dream job but to succeed in it.
Some ways in which you can plan for it is knowing what skills you need to master. Through
doing interviews regarding the education field I have learned that having experience in
communication, student teaching, technology, psychology, and knowing time management skills
is extremely useful to be a great teacher.
It is important to plan for a career in the education field because parents are trusting you
with their children’s futures. Teachers and classmates are often the first people children meet
outside of their family and it is crucial that you are prepared to take on this important role.
Specifically for teachers however it is important to plan out your career because there are so
many specialties that you can add to your resume that not only increase your experience and
growth but also your salary. “Teachers, in particular, have determined that they can use the skills
they’ve acquired to potentially make a better life for themselves, increase their salaries, have
more flexibility, have better benefits for themselves and their families, and have more autonomy”
(Thompson, 2022). This quote puts into words best, determining what you want to achieve as a
teacher as soon as you can, can help you achieve goals such as salary increase sooner rather than
later. If you are educated in all the different paths you can take then you can follow the one that
suits you best rather than simply just being a teacher.
One of the biggest challenges in a career in education is low pay and a teaching shortage.
In one article discussing major issues in the female dominant field of teaching stated, “Teachers
in high-poverty schools make about 10% less than teachers in low-poverty schools” (AAUW).
This statement shows why planning not only your career but your life is important. This is
because along with planning out your career, receiving an education, and getting qualifications
and certificates, you also need to consider where you will be living and your wages. Since
teaching is one of the lowest paying careers despite needing a college education to pursue it,
factoring in your wages and where you can afford to live decently is extremely important.
Without doing so an incoming teacher could start working in an expensive area without making
the salary to support themselves let alone a family.
To have a career in the education field it is quintessential to have a strong backbone in
communication and technology. This is because throughout your career you will have to clearly
communicate through emails as well as set up lessons through powerpoint. In the post covid
world an immense amount of teaching is done through technology as well. In one of my
interviews Frank Westcott stated “teachers communicate with colleagues, supervisors, and
families through email, and being professional is required every time” (Westcott, 2023). This
was a common statement made by all the teachers I have spoken to and reflects the importance
of not only communication but also being comfortable and efficient in technology. Developing
strong communication skills is extremely important for all aspects of teaching as shown
“Teachers need good communication skills for facilitating the students and achieving good
professional goals” (Khan, 2017). Along with developing strong communication and technology
skills teachers should also gain experience in psychology. Since you are working with children at
primitive years of development, having knowledge in that area and utilizing it in your classroom
can have a lot of benefits. Lisa Byers, an elementary school teacher who I interviewed stated “It
was important for me to know not every student is going to learn the first time information is
presented, they may need it shown in another way” (Byers, 2023). in regards to her psychology
classes in college. Psychology allows teachers to have a deeper understanding of how the brain
works and how to change lessons around to help students who are struggling. However, you can
still be a successful teacher without psychology if you get experience within the classroom. All
guidelines to become a successful teacher include utilizing your student teaching experience.
Along with student teaching, observing other classes and communicating with colleagues on how
to teach new lessons can provide valuable insight into the various teaching styles. Not all
students are the same so not all teaching styles work it’s important to keep building your
classroom, for example, “
when educators discover new teaching strategies through professional
development, they are able to go back to the classroom and make changes to their lecture styles
and curricula to better suit the needs of their students” (Creech, 2023). This is further proven by
James Frey, a middle school teacher at Public School 19 in Woodlawn New York, who boasted
about how helpful and important it is to have a good student teaching experience in the interview
conducted by myself. He said, “He (student teaching advisor) left the room and said this is the
only way you really find out what it takes to be a teacher.Any course that focused on practical
experience, were the ones I truly enjoyed” (Frey, 2023). This really stood out to me about the
importance of getting experience. Since teaching is a hands-on career it only makes sense that
getting that experience in before starting is one of the best ways you can prepare to teach
yourself.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
In conclusion, prepping for anything is always important, however prepping and planning
out your career is essential to succeeding in the “real world”. At the end of the day any career
will have its ups and downs but teaching is nearly impossible to have expectations for since you
are working with different children each year. Becoming a teacher is also one of the most
rewarding careers one can pursue but to do so you must take the proper classes, do research, get
experience, and be prepared for challenges.
References
Interview 1
, Lisa Byers, June 10, 2023
Interview 2
, Frank Westcott, June 17, 2023
Interview 3
, James Frey, June 20, 2023
Thompson, V. (2022, September 1).
A guide to planning career paths for teachers
. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/guide-planning-career-paths-teachers/
Challenges to the teaching profession. AAUW. (2020, March 27).
https://www.aauw.org/resources/article/challenges-teaching/
Creech, J. (2023, January 15).
Importance of Prof Development for educators: Queens Online
.
Queens University of Charlotte.
https://online.queens.edu/resources/article/professional-development-for-educators/
Khan, A., Khan, Dr. S., Khan, M., & Zia-Ul-Islam , S. (2017). Communication Skills of a
Teacher and Its Role in the Development of the Students’ Academic Success .
Journal of
Education and Practice
,
8
(1). https://doi.org/ISSN 2222-288X