What motivated you to become a teacher?

What do you hope to accomplish in your work with young people?

            There have been many things that have interested me: sports, hunting, fishing, camping, and coaching.  Science became a way to explain and explore these things. Through biology, physics, and chemistry one is able to take a deeper look at the relationships in nature, the inner workings of animals, and the mechanics of a firearm. While I was in school I had teachers that helped me to understand the natural world through science. These teachers and my parents influenced my education and helped shape the person I am today. Being a science teacher allows me to work with my students and show them some of the things I find fascinating about science.

Science to me is a way to investigate the world around us. According to the Montana Standards For Science, “Science education strengthens students’ basic investigation skills and fosters their understanding of and interest in the world.” Science is a way of explaining how things work from the atom to the universe. Science is also a way of exploring concepts and materials that have never been explored before. Through science new discoveries are being made and old ones are being improved upon. It is this world of discovery and knowledge that I strive to teach my science students. As a teacher my goal is to help my students reach a higher level of thinking and develop problem solving skills that apply both in and out of the science classroom.

Another one of my goals is to keep my classroom a place where students and I never stop learning. It is my belief that teachers impact students’ lives in many different ways. I believe I can influence my students, can help them enjoy science, and can encourage them to become better learners. As a science teacher I hope to make science fascinating to my students in a variety of ways. I try to make learning science fun through hands-on experiments, fieldwork, and cooperative learning. I work to make my classroom a place where interactions with the natural world take place, both through the text and with interactive activities.

            While self-interests and learning are key motivators that helped determine my career selection, I probably would have not gained so much interest in the career or subject if it hadn't’t been for some memorable teachers. Looking back, the majority of the classes I liked were science classes and some of the best teachers I had were science teachers.  These teachers helped me obtain skills to clarify my understandings of the world and helped shape who I am today. 

Two other teachers who played a greater roll in my becoming a teacher are my parents.   Growing up with two educators in my household, I was able to see that teaching was about more than just academics.  I was able to see my parents’ interactions with their students and the impacts they had on some of their students’ lives both in and out of the classroom. I also appreciated the lifestyle it allowed us to have as a family, and I chose teaching because it would enable me to have a similar lifestyle with my children.  Teaching allows me to be a role model to young people both at school and at home.

I have held on to my parents’ belief that teaching does not stop when the students leave the classroom doors. I have found that through coaching I am able to learn more about my students than just what I see in the classroom. It is through some of the events outside of the classroom(science fair and sports) that I have seen some of my students’ greatest successes. When I see these successes it makes me feel good about my interactions with the young adults I teach.  In my work with young people, I hope to have my students gain an interest for the sciences, gain an understanding about the world around them, and gain skills that will further them for the rest of their lives.  Witnessing successes in the classroom and outside of the classroom makes me realize that teaching science is the right career for me.