A Principal of a Suburban School and Disadvantaged Students - Essay Example

Teaching is a noble profession which demands responsible approach in every aspect of its planning and delivery. It is important that a teacher is aware of his or her ethical responsibility of delivering quality knowledge. In my teaching career with adult ESL learners in ………, I realized that for adult learners to acquire maximum knowledge from the teaching sessions, their complete psychological involvement in the learning processes must be ensured. My experience shows that the exhaustive nature of the subjects that I taught makes the students lose attention in due course.

I found it as a challenge to keep their attention focused on the learning process. So as to face this challenge, I employed an innovative approach by trying to make the learning process enjoyable. I included a number of activities within the teaching methodology which was integrated with the learning objectives. Activities like games and group activities were tried which made sure that the learners while enjoying the process were more comfortably engaging in the learning process. The activities were given a competitive nature to entertain the students and to maintain their attention.

Prizes were given for the winners, which retained their interest .For long sessions, activities involving physical movements were incorporated. Short icebreakers and warm up activities involving quick movements helped to keep the energy levels maintained. I have found these very useful as it brings in a cheerful atmosphere in the classroom. However, this activity has the limitation that it demands adequate space and facility. Videos and other audio visual tools which could be connected to language learning were used extensively by me to improvise the delivery of language lessons.

My general observation during my teaching experience has been that the participation of students in learning activities is largely unequal. The weaker students tend to shy away from volunteering in class room activities. It is my principle to make all the students participate equally. I have experienced that being able to participate in the learning process brings in a feeling of ownership in the students towards the objective of learning. This encourages them to effectively contribute to the learning process.

I also make sure to collect feedback from all the students. I have prepared printed feedback forms and I regularly get it filled from every student, so that I understand the efficacy of the delivery. This is very important as it has always helped me to understand the implications of processes incorporated in teaching and make appropriate changes. This inclusive approach has been found to be very effective as it helps every student in the class to feel important and cared for, especially in the case of weaker students.

I always take at most care to acknowledge and appreciate the presence and participation of such students, resultantly boosting their morale and motivating them to try harder. It must be noted here that confidence plays an important role in learning and using a language as far a non-native speaker is concerned. Primarily, I believe that the teacher must follow all possible ethical practices, so that the students find the teacher trustworthy. I believe in continuous self improvement and hard work as a tool to be a competent teacher.

As a primary measure to this I would like to enroll with the University of Texas so that I can professionally train myself to qualify to be an elementary teacher. I dream to be a principal of a suburban school where disadvantaged students are given priority and are trained to be fit for the most competitive positions in the world.