My interest in education emerged during my participation in various volunteer activities in my senior year of high school. I loved working with people with different levels of aptitude for diverse subjects and felt a sense of achievement when I successfully helped others. Teaching is mutualistic and I have learned valuable lessons from my role as an educator and the students I interacted with. Throughout my volunteer involvement, I offered assistance that served to acknowledge each child’s different learning capacities. My ability to ascertain the varying needs of students and dedication to their learning makes me an ideal candidate as a TaLK scholar.
As a student, when I asked for instructions, some teachers could not understand why I struggled …show more content…
One of my English professors has said, "I love when I learn from students. Many see teaching as a one-way communication, but it is not. Teachers learn from students, and students learn from teachers". Teachers help bridge the gap between students and their learning. Through this process, they share knowledge but also gain insight into the child 's abilities and the effectiveness of their lesson plans. Additionally, teachers learn more about themselves. My position as a peer tutor at Pine Tree Secondary 's Learning Centre was one of the most challenging, yet rewarding experience. I was paired with a grade 9 student who had a learning disability and required assistance in English. On the first day, I watched as the student worked on his assignment to make a note on his strengths and weaknesses. For example, although he was a fluent reader, but would mumble or skip words he could not pronounce. I encouraged him to go back, re-read and pronounce the words slowly. Over time, his accuracy improved and he read with greater ease and comfort. Through this observational study, I was able to identify ways to improve areas of weakness and provide feedback on his assets. I also realized the importance of appreciating small progress. My tutee had trouble constructing complete sentences, I began with the basics before moving on to more complex sentence structures. Each lesson required patience and adjustments of expectations. When the student had trouble understanding my explanations and asked questions that probed deeper into the boundary of my knowledge, it forced me to find alternative ways of communicating concepts. It caused me to reflect on my knowledge, skills, and experiences. For instance, I considered the ways I overcame academic obstacles in school and turned to former teachers for advice. Throughout the semester, receiving progressive reports from
As a student, when I asked for instructions, some teachers could not understand why I struggled …show more content…
One of my English professors has said, "I love when I learn from students. Many see teaching as a one-way communication, but it is not. Teachers learn from students, and students learn from teachers". Teachers help bridge the gap between students and their learning. Through this process, they share knowledge but also gain insight into the child 's abilities and the effectiveness of their lesson plans. Additionally, teachers learn more about themselves. My position as a peer tutor at Pine Tree Secondary 's Learning Centre was one of the most challenging, yet rewarding experience. I was paired with a grade 9 student who had a learning disability and required assistance in English. On the first day, I watched as the student worked on his assignment to make a note on his strengths and weaknesses. For example, although he was a fluent reader, but would mumble or skip words he could not pronounce. I encouraged him to go back, re-read and pronounce the words slowly. Over time, his accuracy improved and he read with greater ease and comfort. Through this observational study, I was able to identify ways to improve areas of weakness and provide feedback on his assets. I also realized the importance of appreciating small progress. My tutee had trouble constructing complete sentences, I began with the basics before moving on to more complex sentence structures. Each lesson required patience and adjustments of expectations. When the student had trouble understanding my explanations and asked questions that probed deeper into the boundary of my knowledge, it forced me to find alternative ways of communicating concepts. It caused me to reflect on my knowledge, skills, and experiences. For instance, I considered the ways I overcame academic obstacles in school and turned to former teachers for advice. Throughout the semester, receiving progressive reports from