The question educators are often asked is, why did you become a teacher?  Most people can probably guess the simple answer... the children, of course!  And yes the children are at the heart of why I became a teacher, but my reasons for becoming a teacher are not nearly as important for why I continue to teach.  My desire to make an impact on my students' education is still present, but I also feel a strong desire to model caring relationships and reflective teaching.  When I decided to switch my career path it wasn't to leave the classroom.  In fact, when I accepted the position as Instructional Technology Specialist, I made sure that my interaction with students would still be a big part of my position.  However, I also felt the need to work with and support my colleagues so I could share what I believe to be necessary components of education.  It is difficult to narrow down the components I believe are essential to education so I captured some of those ideas in a word cloud.  However, the one component that stand out to me is being reflective.  

 

To truly meet the needs of the students in our classrooms today, we must be reflective in all aspects of our teaching.  Not only with the content or strategies we are using, but how we approach and form relationships with the students in front of us. The students that make up our classrooms today need teachers that are preparing them for the world we live in now and the world they will be living in the future.