As an educator, I am in a unique position. In my classroom, roughly seven hours a day, I can mold over a hundred minds in a way that I see fit. Yes, standards exist. Yes, I have a curriculum that I must follow. But what happens in my room and how I go about doing it comes down to what I deem important. Community members, administrators, and parents/guardians put their trust in me to prepare these students for whatever comes next. Most importantly, the students are putting their trust in me to prepare them for their futures. A common buzz phrase in education is “no two students learn the same way,” however, this can be gleaned to a broader message, no two students are the same. Students do learn differently, but they also have different plans for their future, different home situations, different interests, and, frankly, different lives. More specifically to my field, as a mathematics teacher, my subject is often viewed with a negative connotation. I will not dispute that math is rigid and dry at times, but I strongly believe that when anything is taught the appropriate way these common beliefs can quickly be forgotten. My passion is cliché and broad, but powerful. My passion is to make an impact on the lives of my students, to make a difference. I do not measure my success on whether my students can solve equations with three variables, but on the person they are when they leave my room.

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I take pride in establishing a classroom culture where students can feel comfortable being themselves, taking academic risks, struggling, and working together. I strive every day to have my students think critically, problem solve, and collaborate with one another. Teaching mathematics directly is easy but understanding the students in the classroom and pushing the students to gain a true understanding of the materials is difficult. The technology that is available in the classroom nowadays can transform the way students view the concepts we cover, both figuratively and literally. With this said, mathematics aside, digital learning has become way too focused on the tools causing the quality of the instruction to suffer. At professional development opportunities teachers are often presented with a variety of online tools that have formative assessments built in along the way. While all these tools could enhance the learning of students, they are not being used appropriately as a supplement, but as a replacement for strategies that have shown to be successful.

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Despite popular belief, I do not think the education system needs a complete overhaul but rather some freshening up. After being forced into a distance learning setting during the COVID-19 pandemic, every teacher showed that they can adapt from their typical ways when needed. The world of education is in a unique position where we must capitalize on this. With the pandemic lingering a bit, the norms are vulnerable and now is the time to make a change. There are hundreds of thousands of resources at the disposal for educators and opportunities to connect with fellow teachers from around the world at the click of a button. Learning networks created by teachers can enhance the learning of students. No matter what the future holds for our students, it is guaranteed that they will be working with their peers, so why should their education be any different? By collaborating, challenging, and motivating one another daily we can positively impact and develop the whole student.

 

My hope is that a blended learning model can achieve just this. A blended learning model will promote accountability and self-evaluation for students. It allows the educator in the room to spend more time meeting students where they are rather than teaching a daily lesson where some students are disengaged from the ease while others struggle with the prerequisite skills. I believe this change in education is easier than we believe as most learning organizations have the infrastructure in place and resources needed to put it into action. There is no need to reinvent the wheel as the networks are already built to connect with fellow educators around the world to share resources and results from their experiences. 

 

Again, my goal is to make a difference and prepare my students for what they will face in their future. By altering the current model of education students will have more opportunity to think critically with one another and develop problem solving skills. The transition from teacher driven to student driven will revolutionize the way students view their learning and provide them with the confidence they need as the work towards their futures. The relationship building and classroom culture that the teacher establishes will be more important than ever. My experiences have shown me the weight this holds in learning for all parties involved. I currently teach mostly 9th and 10th grade students and can confidently say there is nothing more rewarding than having students return during their senior years and seeing the mature individuals they have become and listening to the excitement they have in their voices as they talk about what comes next. While the rigor of the content will remain, the transition to a student driven classroom will only increase the level of preparedness these young adults have moving forward.