Final Reflections

I think that my role as a teacher is a very significant part of who I am as a citizen.  I have a very important responsibility in the preparation of my students to be active participants in the civic world.  They need to be educated in order to take on this important role, and I think that is a critical element of being a teacher.  It sounds almost cliché or over the top, but that is truly what we are doing in our classroom.  I have a responsibility to my students to give them the tools necessary to interact with the world around them, but also to do so critically.  I think that by developing units for my students with specific goals for understanding in mind will help me organize what I am hoping to accomplish each year in my classroom.  Often as teacher, I feel bogged down by all the standards, tests, and requirements.  Hopefully by working to see the big ideas and understandings that I am working towards, I will not feel so overrun with small details.  This will allow me to focus on what I see as my purpose as a teacher in allowing my students to develop into members of their society who have a strong sense of social responsibility.