Talk To The Texts: A Career In Education

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a quote by Robert John Meehan: “Your life as a teacher begins the day you realize you are always a learner.” Throughout the course of this semester, I have learned a monumental amount and grown immensely in my journey towards a career in education, and, as the quote expresses, I have realized that part of being a teacher is continually adding to this development. I believe this ceaseless pursuit of knowledge to better ourselves as educators is an imperative aspect of this profession because for every new bit of information we acquire and the more we develop, the more our students benefit. With that in mind, each experience, whether it be good or bad, I have drawn from this course and field experience has contributed …show more content…
In Spradlin’s textbook specifically, various minority populations and the struggles they face are discussed. Before writing the Talk to the Texts, I understood that these were important issues, but I never realized the extent to which they are present in a classroom. Writing these forced me to consider how I can tackle these issues in my classroom, as well as helped me understand where my future students may be coming from. After reading Spradlin’s book and writing the subsequent journal entries, the significance of cultural inclusion and representation became evident to me, and these are now two factors I dwell on when imagining my future as a teacher. Helping students make connections with their work is essential, and I realize that making connections involves seeing a part of themselves or their lives in the work. As an aspiring English teacher, I feel I will have an easier time than other teachers providing the opportunity to students to make said connections because I have the ability to select works of literature that reflect the lives or characteristics of my students, and that is exactly what I wish to do. Providing that representation and inclusion in school not only assists in student comprehension, but it hopefully initiates interest in the subject matter and expresses to students …show more content…
A few of my prior beliefs were emphasized and expanded upon, I was exposed to aspects of teaching that had never formerly crossed my mind, and I determined what I believe is advantageous or inimical in the classroom. To answer the question of where I am in my development as a teacher is both easy and difficult, for I have just begun, but I feel I have acquired a vast amount of knowledge in such a short time. However, as I mentioned several times, that acquisition of knowledge is an aspect of the profession that is perpetual. So, I suppose my answer is that I am in the stage of development where I am just beginning, but I am thrilled to be