I am someone who loves children, and knowing that I am one step closer to having my own classroom gives me a huge sense of hope and joy. If I can help just one child, I feel an irresistible sense of accomplishment; and as a teacher I will have the opportunity to help many children. To succeed as a teacher, I need each one of my students to succeed. I believe reading is the backbone of the classroom; and ultimately being a proficient reader increases the chance for success in life in general. It is through my personal education that I will receive the necessary tools to create a thriving classroom. I will accomplish this by studying and understanding good reading instruction, goals for student learning, teaching methods and assessment practice. First, I must define reading instruction for myself and my students. “There’s no one best way to teach reading and writing; instead, teachers create a balanced literary program using two or more approaches.” (Tompkins, 2014 p.327) The success of each reader begins with instruction, and because no two individuals are alike this must be accounted for in my instruction. I …show more content…
The class will of course participate in formal assessments put forth by the state, but I will also have informal assessments of my own. Some will be running records throughout the year, others to be done daily, weekly and monthly. I love the idea of a Portfolio as a running record that will display the students’ progress throughout the year, and allow them to have their own input. I will use my own observations and checklists to monitor and assess daily progress of my students. I also really like the idea of giving the students an opportunity to do a self-assessment by asking them “How do you think you’ve done in your reading class this past month?” or “What can I do to help make reading