My Educational Values

I have some really great instructional coaches at my school.  Lately, they've been talking about what we value as teachers and how that shows up in our classrooms.  They've also told me personally that they believe I'm not being true to myself, like I'm acting how I think a teacher "should" act or like how other teachers at my school act, but it's not my natural self.  I thought about this a lot the other night and think I finally understand what they mean. So I asked myself, "What do I value as a teacher?" and this is what I came up with:


I believe...

-learning should be fun
-kids need structure
-kids need to be nice to each other
-kids need to develop empathy and compassion for others
-kids learn from each other
-kids need to be explicitly taught and things need to be modeled for them
-kids need to constantly review material in order to master it
-kids should be able to read and write independently
-kids should be able to articulate their thinking
-kids should know how to work cooperatively in groups
-kids should be taught how to help others properly
-kids should be responsible for their materials
-kids should be prepared for the day
-kids should be held accountable for their actions
-kids should feel comfortable and safe in the classroom
-kids should take ownership of their classroom
-kids should see their own work displayed
-kids should be challenged to think critically
-kids should be able to function without me being there
-kids should be treated with respect
-kids should be spoken to in a loving but firm way
-kids should feel loved
-kids should feel proud of their accomplishments
-kids should be able to handle conflicts peacefully
-kids should understand how things work in the real world
-kids should know there are consequences for their actions
-kids should understand that the world does not revolve around them
-kids should know what's happening in the world around them
-kids should reflect on their learning
-kids should share and be kind to one another
-kids should express their creativity
-kids should have dreams
-kids should be prepared to go to college
-kids should feel inspired to learn

I also asked myself, "What kind of teacher am I/What kind of teacher would I like to be?"  This is what I came up with:

I am/I would like to be a teacher who:
-makes her students feel loved
-is excited about learning
-gets her students excited about learning
-can manage a classroom well
-teaches her students how to behave properly
-trusts her students
-loves technology
-loves to read
-wants all of my students to feel successful
-moves my students' levels up
-remains patient in stressful situations
-knows my students very well (academically and personally)
-is taken seriously by my students
-turns my students into hard workers
-continues to learn about my craft and improves
-can celebrate the small things

Some of these qualities I already posses, and some I am still working on.

I think the next step in this reflection is to pick a few of my values to work on each week, then by the end of the year all of my values should be present somewhere in my classroom.

What do you value as an educator?