Chapter 14: Succeeding in Your Teacher Education Program--and Beyond

I first decided I would like to be a teacher my Junior year of high school. I was nervous because I didn't know what it took to be a teacher, and I was not sure of the qualifications. I started watching what my teachers did in class very early on and began to feel more reassured that I could do that profession. Now that I am in college, taking classes to become a teacher, I have few worries about becoming a teacher. I know the UMF will prepare me very well for being a successful and effective teacher. Many teachers that I had in high school said that the education UMF gave them was impeccable and made them feel confident about joining the profession. I do not have very many concerns about being a teacher. If anything, I would say I am slightly concerned with the fact that I will look like I am still in high school when I teach, and my students won't take me seriously. I am also slightly concerned that students will preform badly on exams, and I will be questioning myself about my teaching abilities. 

1. The area of concern, or areas, would likely be Unconcerned and Impact. I am not worrying about becoming a teacher a whole lot, because I know that every student is going through the same thing I am, and I know that with hard work and perseverance I can achieve what I want to. I said I was concerned in the area of Impact because I want to make sure my students are learning all that I teach them, and I want to assure that they will preform well on exams. I feel like I will take it personally when a student does not do well on a test. I did not address Self or Task for the stages of concern. One of my concerns was about teaching, and the other was a personal concern. My concerns were basically centered around my ability to succeed in teaching. I want my students to do well, and I want them to be able to learn from me.

2. I am the Personal and Refocusing stages of concern. In the personal concern, I am concerned with the fact that I might look like a student while I am teaching, and I am a little concerned that I will not be the most effective teacher to some students. For the Refocusing stage of concern, I am will take it personally if a student doesn't do well, or I will always be thinking about new ways to change my teaching to be better and more effective. That, however, isn't a bad thing.