Chapter 2: What Really Matters in Teaching? (The Students)

The concept that is taken for granted when the public sees a teacher is that the teacher knows his or her content area and it is for that reason that I believe this chapter of the book spends one paragraph devoted to that subject. The rest of the chapter is concerned with knowing our students in aspects such as: family life, identity (race, religion, and parents' income), learning disabilities, and learning styles; all of which affect a student's ability to learn. All students expect and desire the same things from their teacher. They want a competent adult that provides a stable, caring, accepting environment in which they can find themselves in school individually, socially, and academically. Even though students all want the same thing, they will take different paths and need help in different ways to get there. One size does not fit all when it comes to teaching students. This affects me as a future teacher because I must learn right from the start to be a responsive teacher. This means I can and will adapt and craft curriculum, circumstance, and the environment to enable my students to have success. I need to take a proactive approach to making changes and not just let it shake out with whoever achieves success as long as someone does. The information in this chapter will affect my students by motivating them to learn. If students perceive that the teacher cares enough to show interest in their lives, to adjust the curriculum to fit their learning needs, and to help them find a personal connection to the information; they will be motivated to learn because they believe the teacher believes in them.