Reading Reflection 6 - *Simeon Cowart *: Change Agent

What does it mean to be an agent of change? Does it mean that the teacher stays up to date with the most recent strategies, philosophies, and technological resources to make the classroom a better place to learn or does it describe the connections that teachers make with students to inspire them to believe in themselves? I believe both of these thoughts to hold truth. As a future educator I strongly believe that connections must be made with every student in the classroom, and that “the DREAM begins with a teacher who BELIEVES in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ‘truth’”(Dan Rather).

It is not easy to be an agent of change, sometimes in fact it means “ bucking the system, trying new methods, and sometimes discarding old ways of thinking. In order to be an agent of change we must educate ourselves as to how students become good learners. To teach students to be a good learner means providing them with explicit strategies, and methods to acquiring information and not expecting them- to just know.

As an educator, I value the importance of making education relevant to students’ needs and challenges. I believe that our nation’s schools should equip students to meet the challenges of current social problems and events, while utilizing the support of sociologists along with political scientists. One of the roles of a teacher is that of a social activist in that they inspire students to take responsibility for the world around them by making choices that will address concerns, find solutions and, therefore, better their lives. Kids learn best when they can connect what they are learning to the experiences of their own lives. This is one reason that I will utilize a lot of “hand-on projects” and assignments when I become a middle school teacher. When listening is reinforced with doing, it becomes of far greater relevance to students. It has been asserted that self-esteem comes from accomplishment. I will insure that the students that I teach will certainly do their fair share “of doing,” and as a result, the successes gained from this should build self-confidence.

Personally, it is about finding “meaning” to one’s life. Since I view teaching as a calling or mission and not just another profession which requires a college degree with credentials, I feel that this view point best provides a venue for this aspiration. My only hope is that when my work one day is done as an educator, I will be able to reflect on my career and know that what I have chosen to do has made a difference and that ”I was agent of change”.