My goal as an educator has always been to be an inclusive one. I want all people to feel welcomed and comfortable in my classroom. Students should be able to be their authentic selves, and to express their ideas and opinions. They should also see themselves reflected in the classroom. Chances are my classroom will not be composed of all white, 2 parent, middle class families, so my resources should not only represent that very small portion of the population. My posters, my videos, my books, etc. should reflect all of my students so that they all feel valid. I am also a firm believer in the idea that everyone has their own brand of intelligence, and want my students to believe that as well. If a student leaves my class doubting their intelligence than I have not done my job. Everyone has their own skills, the things that they are experts at, and I need to teach in a way that students can showcase their strengths while improving their weaker areas. This means that the learning needs to be varied, there needs to be many ways for students to show what they have learned and many ways to improve their skills. I also need to mold the curriculum to the students to a certain extent. The curriculum is flexible, it leaves opportunity to incorporate student interests and values, and I should do this. Using books about space to teach students fiction vs non-fiction is doable. It will also make the students feel heard and like they are full members of the classroom community, rather than just passive receptors of learning. In a sentence, that is what I am working towards as an educator, having students feel like they belong to a classroom community that cares for them.
As an educator I have much to learn however, as well as things to unlearn. I have big goals, but not necessary the knowledge of how to implement them. I was a student who did well without much effort. I am going to need to learn how to teach students who do not think and learn like me, and I will need to look for resources to facilitate this. I will also have to look for resources to make my classroom more inclusive. I am Caucasian, and I want to be inclusive of all children, but will also need to find ways to do that. Part of that will be getting to know the students in my class, but there can be more general learning done. In particular, the implementation of how best to implement the First People’s Principals of Learning. I will need to connect to people who can help me create a classroom that fully embodies standard 9 and learn about the Indigenous culture of where I am living. I have ideas, and I have goals, but they are untested. Through additional research, hard work, and to a certain extent, trial and error, I hope to make them a reality.