JohnPowers PersonalMissionStatement "We shed as we pick up, like travelers who must carry everything in their arms, and

and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind. The procession is very long and life is very short. We die on the march. But there is nothing outside the march so nothing can be lost to it. - Tom Stoppard, Arcadia Introduction

MynameisJohnPowers,andIamastudent,aswellasateacher.Muchlikethe authorofthequoteabove,Ibelievethatlifeisacyclicalprocess.Therefore,inorder tobesuccessfulteachers,orsuccessfulanythings,wemustneverstoplearning ourselves.Wemustconstantlylookback,question,andneverstoppickingup whatothershaveleftbehindforus.Thepurposeofthismissionstatementisto outlinethegoalsIhavetoassumemydualpositionaslearnerandteacher.IfI alwayskeeptheminsight,andholdmyselfaccountable,perhapsonedaypeople willlookbackandpickupwhatIhaveleftbehind. MyGoals ToBeaRoleModel Iwillneverceasetofirstandforemostbearolemodeltomystudents.IfIam havingabadday,Irefusetobringanegativeatmospheretomyclassroom.By stayingpositivemyself,Iwillteachstudentstoalwaysencountertheobstaclesin lifewiththesamepositiveoutlookanddemeanor. IrealizethatthestudentsIencounterwillspanaverydiversebackground.Some mayhavestablehomelives,whileothersmaycometoschooljusttogetadecent meal.Regardlessofthesituation,beforelearningcanoccur,allstudentsinmy classroommustexhibitcertaindecorum.Astherolemodelofmyclassroom,Iwill instillinmystudentspropermoralbehaviorindicativeofamatureadultby demonstratingitmyself.Inappropriate,sexist,racist,andoverallderogatory behaviorwillnotbetolerated.Studentswilllearntobothshowrespecttomyself, andmoreimportantlytootherstudents.Oncethestudentsinmyclassroomhave learnedhowtoactinamaturefashion,learningcanoccur.

ToTeachRealWorldSkills Iwillconstantlyincorporateintomylessonsandinstillinmystudents professionalskills,whichwillnotonlybenefitthemintheclassroom,butinthereal worldaswell.InordertodothisIwillcreateanatmospherewheretheyareheld accountablefortheiractions.Bysubmittingtothepressuresofdeadlines,students willlearnhowtocompleteworkinagiventimeframe,andbepreparedforthefast paceanddemandoftheprofessionalworld.Byplacingstudentsinsituationswhere theymustworkwithothers,Iwillteachthemhowtoacceptviewpointsdifferent fromtheirown,andtobridgethesedifferencesinanefforttoachieveacommonend goal.Iwillteachstudentsfundamentalresearchtoolsandcriticalthinkingskills utilizingamyriadofbothtechnicalandprintrelatedresources,sothattheymay findvarioussolutionstooneproblem. ToTeachEveryoneintheClassroom IwillneverforgetthatitismydutyasateachertoteachEVERYONEinthe classroom,regardlessofhisorhereducationalbackgroundorability.Irealizethat, duetothenatureoftheeducationsysteminAmerica,studentsinmyclassroomwill possessvariousdifferentreadinglevelsandcriticalthinkingcapabilities.Inorderto combatthis,Iwillstayvigilantandberesponsivetostudentsneeds.IfInoticea studentishavingaproblemwithanassignment,Iwillfirstaccesstheareainwhich theyarelacking,anddeviseaplantobringthembackuptospeed.Irefusetocater onlytothemostgiftedstudentsinmyclassroom,whilelettingthoselessfortunate slipthroughthecracks. ToBeanEngagingEnglishTeacher IwillengagemystudentsinthestudyofthecannonofEnglishLiteratureby teachingworkstheycanrelateto.Inordertodothis,Iwillselectivelychoose literaturespanningalltimeperiodsthatdealswithsubjectmattermostrelevantand interestingtoyoungadults.Forexample,ifIamteachingModernism,Imaychoosea poembyWilliamCarlosWilliamsdealingwiththedegradationofculture,suchas SpringanAll,insteadofapoembyYeatssuchasCircusAnimalsDesertion,which concernshischangingtendenciesasawriter. Iwillchooseworksthatdemonstratechangingtrendsandparallelsbetweenall timeperiodsinEnglishLiterature.Theseworkswillnotonlyhaveliterary significance,buthistoricalsignificanceaswell.Thiswillenablemetoengagethe studentsinamultilayeredactofcriticalthinkingwhenanalyzingliterature.Iwill teachthemofthegiveandtakerelationshipbetweenliteratureandhistorysothat theymayexaminethetimestheyarelivinginadifferentlight.

TobethereForTheStudents,NotForMe IwillalwayskeepinmindthatIamatworkforothers,notmyself.Iwillalways treatmystudentswithakindandcompassionatedemeanor,unlessgivenareason todootherwise.Iwillnotforgetthatlikemyself,studentsarehuman,andthuswill makemistakes.Itismyjobtoguidethemandhelpthemtolearnfromtheir mistakes.Iwillneveracceptthatastudentismisbehavingjustbecause.Ifa studenthasapersonalorhomeproblemIcanhelpthemwith,Iwillneverhesitate toofferadviceandguidance,aslongasIamable. ToNeverStopLearning Iwillactasteachertomystudents,butIwillalsoneverstoplearning.Inorderto bethebestteacherIcanbe,Imustbeawareofthewaysinformationisconveyed mosteffectively.Whatbetterwaythantoconstantlyengageinlearningmyself.By constantlylearningmoreaboutmysubjectarea,Iwillbeabletogivestudentsthe mostenrichinganduptodatelearningexperiencepossible. Iwillalsoneverhesitatetolearnfrommystudents.Byconstantlynotingwhat teachingtechniquesworkbestforthem,Iwillbeabletocontinuallyenhanceand improvemyteachingstyle.Inaddition,bylearningaboutthemnotjustasstudents, andnumbers,butalsoaspeople,Iwilllearnaboutlifeoutsideoftheclassroomfrom perspectivesthatdifferfrommyown. Andmostimportantly ToNeverForgetWhyITeach IteachbecauseIamblessedwiththeopportunitytomakeadifference.IfIhavethe opportunitytogivestudentstheskillstomakethemarchoflifemoremanageable,I willtakeit.ThedayIstopstrivingtodothisisthedayIstopteaching.