Week Four

While reading chapters 3 and 4 of Fulfilling the Promise of the differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson I found three quotes which were very meaningful to me and I would like to explain why they mattered to me. The first was a quote by Barbara Kingsolver, she states “the very least we ought to expect of ourselves is that we figure out what we hope for in this life. The most we can do, she continues, is to make sure we live inside our hopes, rather than admiring them for a distance.” This quote is very significant in my life as I have had the dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher since the day I walked my oldest child into her kindergarten class on the first day of school. Standing in the brightly decorated classroom I felt I had just entered a magical place; I knew this was the place I wanted to be. At the time, which was over sixteen years ago, I didn’t realize one day I would be on the verge of making my dream of becoming a teacher come true. Now that I stand on the edge, it is a bit scary as I realize I am about to live my dream instead of admiring great teachers from a distance. It is my greatest hope that I will be able to make my classroom a magical place that welcomes all that enter.

The second quote that I connected to was “To learn to see the world through your eyes clarifies my own vision.” It has been a long time since I was a child, yet it is always refreshing to get a child’s perspective on something that seems ordinary. One example of this occurred while on a family vacation; our Suburban broke down and required repair. The only car available for rent was a compact budget car. Once we were on our way down the road in the rental, we rolled down our windows to let in the beautiful fall weather. My youngest daughter was all excited to return to grandma’s house to tell her the exciting news of getting to roll the window down with a neat “twirly thing.” The handle to roll down a window was something that I had taken for granted, while my child had found it completely entertaining and amazing – a wonder she wanted to share with others. This experience helped me to see the world through her eyes of wonder. Children have a different perspective and when I have taken the time to see through their eyes, it always brings a smile to my soul.

The final quote I found is “learners watch to see if we will try to build ties with them, if we are willing to invest in them, if we are able to affirm them. They want to know if we’ll help them build a place where there contributions are significant, achieve a sense of power in a very large world, realized a purpose in their school lives and stretch them so they move toward their dreams.” This quote sums up what I believe are my responsibilities as a teacher. It is a huge responsibility. Many times I have contemplated the commitment I am going to need to make in order to meet the needs of my students. This thought process can sometimes be overwhelming; however, I realize that I have the ability to lift, motivate, and launch children on their path to success – I just need to take one day at a time.