I've learned so much throughout my church experience that have strengthened not only my ideas on teaching, but my ideas on how to carry on through life as well. As I've mentioned before I have been leaning more and more towards taking a full time animal science/zoology teaching position in the fall. I think it is important for students to have a teacher that has spent a lot of time in their field because they bring relatable real world experiences to the forefront of the classroom. What I've taken away from my learning experience is the undeniable importance of accountability, family, and community. I want to model my classroom after these three ideals incorporating multiculturalism within each facet as well.
I want to be a teacher that pushes students towards success by holding them accountable for their learning. I want them to know that I believe in them and know that while they may struggle in some areas if they push through and ask for help I will be more than happy to take the extra time to figure out a way to get them to master the material. I also want them to know that mistakes are a part of life and learning from those mistakes is how we grow. If we can work together as a classroom family having open discussions about what we are learning and learning what students actually want to know than success may come much easier.
Along with having students understand that their classmates as well as teacher are working together, I also want them to feel a sense of community. Not just from the classroom atmosphere, but I want to bring others in as well. Experts in the field, local vets, and even those who oppose zoological settings. It is so important that students learn about both sides of every debate and be able to make their own informed decisions. I am so grateful for this experience because not only have I garnered such a respect for the role the church plays in the black community, I have also found some amazing principles for which to guide me on the rest of my journey.
