Michelle Koop - So You Want to be a Teacher

I really appreciated the way that this beginning chapter of the text introduced the subject matter. Yes, I want to be a teacher. I have wanted to be a teacher for a very long time, but I find that the more you want something, the rosier your glasses become and the harder it is to see the challenges that may lie within those desires. Teaching inclusively is a challenge. It is a necessary and rewarding challenge, but a challenge none the less. This introduction addresses this challenge, the reality as well as the necessity.

Even though I know that teaching is a profession I would thrive in, I still want to be as prepared as possible when I enter my own classroom for the first time. On the first page of this introduction it describes the author’s goal: helping educators to be confident and competent when teaching in an inclusive classroom. This is what I desire: confidence and competence. I want a deeper pool of knowledge when it comes to teaching inclusively.

This introduction also reminded me of how fortunate we are to live in Canada. I am proud to live in a country where inclusivity is prized. I am excited to walk into a career where I am going to be expected to strive to make my classroom a safe haven for each and every student. In fact, it is our legal responsibility as future educators! I confess that the pressure of succeeding does make me nervous, but even that issue to brought up in this introduction. We are not the cause of every problem that arises in our classroom, nor are we the solution to every issue that arises in our classroom. This is a fact that I think I will need to remember as I continue on in the faculty of education.   

This introduction also reminded me of my practicum last semester. The classroom that I was in only had 15 students, but within those 15 students were 15 very different brains and very different learning styles. I think the largest lesson that I learned during my time there was the challenge that different academic needs bring to a classroom and that my job as an educator is to meet those different needs. My cooperating teacher and I usually split the class into groups to cater to the different levels that they were at. I remember sometimes my CT would be perplexed thinking about how she could motivate one student, challenge another student and help another student catch up to the rest of the class all at the same time. Desiring an inclusive classroom, we too will need to face challenges like these in our future classrooms and even today in our practicums. I am thankful for a class like this where we have the opportunity to learn how to face those challenges, confidently and competently. 

Discussion Question: What are some ways that we can start the year off inclusively in our classrooms?