Calling of a Teacher (1)

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EDUC 200

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Apr 3, 2024

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Calling of a Teacher School of Education, Liberty University EDUC 201: Introduction to Education and Classroom Technology February 25, 2024

God’s Calling of me Becoming a Teacher When I was in kindergarten and first grade, I would play pretend school and I had once dreamed to become a teacher but I hadn't decided on a specific grade that I wanted to teach. As I am getting ready to graduate college I have learned that becoming a teacher is not easy and it might not always be a profession that is recommended for me. I know that my calling to become a teacher as my profession that I might eventually have in the future is not the same thing that God might be calling me to do. However, I know that I can do almost any profession whether it is becoming a teacher or a childcare worker. Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Zondervan, NIV, 2001). Whenever someone tries to convince me that I can’t do something I want to one day be able to prove them wrong and show them that I can become a teacher. With God calling me to become a teacher I haven’t actually realized how much time, work and dedication that teachers have to put into teaching their students. When taking this class I have recently felt that God might be calling me to become a teacher but I am not sure what grade I would teach. However, I do feel that God has called me to teach and work with preschoolers and as a childcare worker I want to be able to teach them about God where they can grow spiritually and academically. Whether I am teaching toddlers, preschoolers, or kindergarteners I want the students to be able to have a good classroom experience. I want to make the students feel welcomed and want to come back each day. Looking Back When I was younger I never really spent the time deciding what career I wanted to have in the future. I have recently thought about some careers that I might have interest in pursuing sometime in the future. Looking back when I was in preschool and elementary school, I would pretend to play school with my mom and that is when I thought about becoming a teacher in the

future. Sometimes I will look back and remember some things that I did in my childhood like playing school and pretending that I might one day become a teacher. I often look back and think whether or not I chose the right major to get a college degree in. Wherever I take the time to put some thought into why I might be called to become a teacher in the future is because I want my students to be able to grow academically and also learn what they are being taught. Anyone who becomes a teacher will have different ways of teaching their students as well as different ways of learning. I will probably be teaching young kids like toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners and I would constantly be helping them like if I were their parent. I currently work at a church as a childcare worker and the kids that I work with constantly look up to me as their teacher and they will come to me when they need help. If I were to become an elementary teacher I would definitely make sure that I focus on all of my students and give them all the same amount of attention. Looking back to all of the years that I have been in school I don’t think there has ever been a time where a teacher doesn't give me attention. In the past, with all of the schools that I have ever gone to there was probably a time where I did not want to go to school for some reason. However, because I had good teachers it helped me with wanting to go to school and be able to get through school. If I were to take the time to look back into the past I would see the difference in the careers that I thought I might one day be able to pursue in the future. When I was a lot younger I thought I would one day be a teacher, a professional cook, an artist and possibly a nurse. After being in this class the past several weeks I do feel that God might be calling me to be a teacher, however, I do not have any knowledge that I would need to become a teacher. Looking back to when I thought I might want to one day become a teacher and ended up choosing to major in an art degree. With the knowledge that I have about art I could most likely become an art teacher in the future.

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I have taken art classes since I was in elementary school and that is when I felt like God was calling me to be an art major and possibly one day have a profession in art. During my sophomore year of college, I really felt like God was also giving me the support and the encouragement to be able to change my majors from computer science to an art related degree. As a Christian I trusted that God would guide me in the right direction of choosing the right degree and a major that he has called me to pursue. If I trust in God he will help and guide me to be a good preschool teacher at my church. Public and Private Schools The main historical difference between public and private schools is that public schools are funded by the government, while private schools are funded by tuition and private donations (National Center for Education Statistics, 1997) . Public schools are required to follow certain state-mandated curriculum and testing standards, while private schools have more freedom to set their own curriculum and educational goals. Another thing that is different between public schools and private schools is the price. Children can go to school for free while private school is not. “Private schools are usually smaller but private schools tend to have a larger sense of community and public schools usually have larger amounts of enrollment” (Koch, 2022, p. 47). Philosophically, public schools tend to have a more secular, inclusive approach while private schools, particularly religious private schools often have a more specific religious or moral focus. For Christian teachers, ethics and professionalism may look different in the two different environments. In a public school, a teacher may need to navigate the boundaries between personal beliefs and teaching in a way that is inclusive and respectful of all students. In a religiously affiliated private school, the teacher may have more freedom to incorporate faith-based teachings and values into the curriculum. Regardless, a Christian teacher should

always approach their teaching with integrity, humility, and a commitment to serving and positively impacting their students. Education and the Law Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a law as teachers “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a law that makes a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children” (Koch, 2022, p. 59). It is important for teachers to know if their students have an IEP because the student or students might have a learning disability. As a role of being a teacher, they should know what an IEP or what the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is so they can teach and help the students in a way that it meets their needs. Teachers should know about this particular law or act so that they know if a different set of instructions needs to be created to teach the lesson to the students where they can learn the material. Whether teachers are teaching at a public or private school, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ensures that schools provide specialized instruction to children with disabilities. The purpose of an IEP is to lay out the special education instruction, support, and services that the student needs to succeed and learn in school. Individual with Disabilities Education Act is a special education law and it gives rights and protection to kids with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act protects students in a way that they can still be educated in a way that it requires for schools to adapt instructional curricula to meet the students who have a disability. This particular act or law allows students to be taught in the regular classroom as much as possible with related aids and services. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act can protect children or students from when they are 5 to 21 years old. Children who have learning disabilities can be protected by the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act by getting the help and services that are needed to be able to learn in the same classroom with the other students. Teaching and Learning With my job I am considered a childcare worker and I am not really classified as a teacher but if I taught preschool I would need to have a lesson plan and things for the kids to do. The kids that I would teach are going to be too young to understand a powerpoint or anything like handwritten notes. As I become a preschool teacher at my church, I will have to come up with some teaching styles to teach my students. With being a preschool teacher at my church, I always make sure the students feel welcomed to the classroom and that they also feel like they are in a safe learning environment. I want to make sure that my students are not only learning but they are also engaging with other students in the class. In the classroom where I will be teaching and educating preschoolers who might learn differently than the other students would therefore I would have to teach the students with a different set of directions. Even though I would be teaching preschool and it is my first time teaching I still expect to be teaching preschoolers that might have a difficult time learning. As a preschool teacher at my church I feel like the students who have disabilities should still be able to learn and interact with the other students in a regular classroom. Teaching the students with different sets of instructions can help them learn as much as they can by teaching the lesson that meets all of the students educational needs. “It is the responsibility of educators, including me, to create lesson plans that can adapt to a variety of student ability levels. (Koch, 2022). There might be students in my classroom that have special educational needs and they need extra help or attention that makes them learn better. In my classroom, I will make sure that all students are treated the same which is equally and fairly. No matter what gender, race, or

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ethnicity the students are, they are still welcomed and treated the same. “Although equity is something instructors should aim for since it gives all kids equal opportunity to thrive, equality does not always equal equity.” (Koch, 2022). With teaching a class of preschoolers, I wouldn’t consider any one student as my favorite student as that is not something that a teacher should do. In my classroom where I will be teaching preschool students, they will eventually get used to being surrounded by students who might have learning disabilities. Some of the preschoolers that I will be teaching might be exceptional learners and it is likely that they might come from another culture or background. “Differentiated instruction, which considers students' past knowledge, learning profiles, talents, interests, and language, is a fundamental element of educational philosophy." (Koch, 2022). This is also the basis for developing instructional practices that engage all learners through multiple approaches, tasks and even activities. I currently work in a preschool classroom where the students come in feeling like they are in a safe place and I also treat them with respect regardless of what they believe and value. Becoming a Teacher There are a lot of skills and talents required for someone to become a teacher and it also has to be something that they feel like God is calling them to do. When I felt like I was called to become a preschool teacher at my church I had to figure out how to make lesson plans and how I wanted my classroom to be set up. Once I got the job to be a preschool teacher at my church I had to do some planning trying to figure out what to teach and some strategies for my students since they are so young. I will also need to work on my public speaking skills that I would need to have when teaching a class. As a teacher I will have to attend a lot of meetings on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Some things that I will have to work on as a teacher is being patient with the students and I have to be flexible. In the classroom that I will be teaching in I will have both

general and special education students who may or may not have a learning disability with learning and need extra help or attention. When people become a teacher whether they are just getting out of college or have already finished college and becoming a teacher they have to do things like background checks and applications for a teaching position at a public or private school. They also need to get a teaching license and take some tests to make sure they are qualified to become a teacher. As I am a preschool teacher, I want my students to be able to learn and grow spiritually, mentally and physically from what they are being taught at such a young age. Being a teacher is a huge role to have because I have to not only teach and educate them but also take care of them. I am a preschool teacher/childcare worker at my church and my goal is to help and encourage the students to grow spiritually, emotionally, mentally and academically with the best teaching and learning styles that I can teach to them. The students are more likely to be engaged in the class if I taught them the material or lesson in a fun and interesting way. Conclusion Through God’s calling I know that he has called me to work as a preschool teacher/childcare worker at my church where I can not only work with the kids but also be able to share the gospel. As a preschool teacher/childcare worker, I know that with the lessons that I will be teaching the students that it will educate them and be able to learn and grow both academically and spiritually. With becoming a teacher, my goal is for the children to be able to learn what is being taught to them. When I was a lot younger I dreamed of one day becoming a teacher because I loved school and I also loved the teachers. I loved being in preschool and kindergarten when I was a kid which is one of the things that made me want to become a preschool teacher. I know that might not be a profession that is for everyone but God has a calling for everyone including

myself based on whether or not teaching is the right path to take. People like myself who feel that they have the desire to become some kind of teacher can educate the young children in a way that they will remember us as their teacher including everything that they are being taught/were taught. Our world needs people who can teach young children who are in preschool or kindergarten about God and as Christian I feel like this is something that God has called me to do. As an educated Christian, I feel that God has called me to not only have the opportunity to teach preschoolers things that they might learn at a young age but also teach them about God.

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References Koch J. (2022). Teach (Fifth edition. Student). Cengage Learning. Riley, R. (1997) National Center for Education Statistics. (1997). PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS: HOW DO THEY DIFFER? https://nces.ed.gov/pubs97/97983.pdf Zondervan NIV Study Bible (K. L. Barker, Ed.; Full rev. ed.). (2002). Zondervan.

Calling of a Teacher (1)

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