Dear Future Me,
At this point at in the MSMC Grad program I've learned that this is more complicated and difficult than I ever thought it could be.
We go to classes as students and participate in discussions, write papers, perform math problems, and do homework.
We never think about what goes into the lesson for that day, I never think about how much time, effort and work goes into preparing for the classroom experience.
And the amount of education needed through undergraduate and graduate course study is amazing.
But I've learned that I am diligent, hard-working, caring, motivated, and born to do this.
I've learned that I need to improve upon my content knowledge in Math, my lesson planning skills, and jump in head first.
I want to be the best Math teacher in the history of Math teachers, I want my students to WANT to come to my class, I want them to be EXCITED about Math, above-all I want them to love to learn.
I want to be passionate about what I'm going to do because I want to pass my passion onto my future students.
It is my hope that I can create a rich learning environment using all the methods of technology that we have learned in this class and the Teaching with Technology class.
Here's some advice to Future Me: Don't get frustrated, don't lose your passion and love for math, always be happy in the classroom, remember how all YOUR teachers were, remember what you learned in your college courses.
When you read this you will be student-teaching, the dog will be over 1 year old, you will be married for over 1 year, and you may have a baby in your life. Be patient, take time to meditate, tell your wife that you still love her, tell your students that you are proud of them, praise everyone in your life for helping you.
Ask for help because we can't do this alone. Thank your fellow teachers and thank your students because they are why you want to be a teacher.
ABOVE ALL: Make a difference, be a force for change, encourage your students to make a change, encourage them to do better.
Sincerely,
Frank Napolitano (November 5, 2016)
You have the best goals for yourself, Frank, and an upbeat attitude to rival even my own. (And that's saying something!) I want to wish future you the best as well, I'm sure what you have learned and will learn before you receive this email will serve you well in the time to come.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to thank you as a fellow student. You are always a pleasure to work beside, and when we have worked together, you have brought a truly remarkable focus with you to the table, and that energy, passion, and drive to succeed has always been helpful and inspiring to me, so I know it will serve your future students well too.