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As an educator, I strive to help my students learn to examine the world around them and apply their learning in a practical way. I want my students to learn to think about issues and realize their knowledge can be used to solve problems. The ability to think is a powerful gift. My desire is to see them grow in knowledge so they can use their gift to change the world.

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My 22 years in education has given me a front seat to what true leadership is. While I've never been a teacher, I have been lucky enough to work in various district support roles that have interacted directly with teachers and administrators on a daily basis. That interaction played a key role in my approach to providing first class support to schools over the years. I've seen firsthand the tremendous impact teachers can have on the lives of students. While it's often a thankless job (especially in these crazy times!) I truly believe educators, and teachers in particular, have the ability to positively impact every aspect of a students life. They have the ability to extract the greatness inside of them while instilling lifelong lessons that will help students succeed beyond the four walls of their classroom. THAT is what a leader does. Kudos to all of you great educators out there! I wish you nothing but the best in these challenging times!  You CAN do it! - Kris Trejo

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Leslie Templin:
This meme has been sent to me 4 different times in the past week as my colleagues discover that I will be doing distance learning for first grade. It completely sums up how I feel most days, but I am super excited to be taking this course along side this new experience so that I may serve my students to the best of my ability. I will be fine, my students will be fine, and everything else will be fine, too.

Also, who doesn't love a good Friends meme.

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Trey Honeycutt: Teaching has always been something that I have done and enjoyed since a young age whether that was in Boy Scouts, after school programs, Sunday School, or tutoring. I did not see my see myself as a teacher full time, but when the opportunity presented itself I had too many people tell me I should do it to turn it down. I have loved it everyday and I am going on my second year in the classroom. This year I will be the online teacher for our grade and what I envision my workspace looking like is featured below.

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Education was not my first profession. Even though coming from a family with a strong teaching tradition, I never actively pursued it. Keyword: actively. Once I completed by first year teaching, I realized that almost all of the things I had done in my past involved educating and leading others. A high school Senior/Freshman Link leader, Pep Band Senior Director, Vice-President of Education and Recruitment in my fraternity, Frog Camp Orientation, volunteer coaching, requesting work with the community & school outreach efforts for Texas A&M Athletics. Turns out, even though my head was guiding me other places, my heart never let me stray too far from teaching. I feel kinda sorry for my friends & colleagues that continue to work in those very same office building I chose to leave. Crammed up in desk, wearing heavy suits, bustling through hot concrete streets to get to the next meeting. Thank God I realized I would just rather play with kids all day.

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Peter Holmstrom: I absolutely love this quote from Nelson Mandela. It is truly one of my "why's" and one that I go back to often. I teach students math and science. When I was younger, I was absolutely terrible at math. I constantly struggled and barely passed. Now being a teacher I work to inspire my students that education can take us anywhere and that it truly IS the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world!

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My goal as an educator is to fill my toolbox with resources, technology, skills, and knowledge that will put my students at an advantage no matter what hurdles we face. I thrive outside the box and hope to create an experience for my students that impacts their educational journey.

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Charles Darwin Quote Typed on Typewriter _ Etsy

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I am an educator because I love seeing the smiles on kids face when they finally understand something. I love when students learning new things and have fun while doing it.

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Develop a Passion for Lifelong Learning!

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Develop a Passion for Lifelong Learning!

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I continue to be an educator because every year I am fortunate enough to teach a group of students that learning should never stop. My main focus every year is to show students there is always room to learn more, no matter what the topic or subject may be. I love to teach them that no matter how old they get, or how many degrees they may hold, every single human being on this planet always has room to learn and grow from one another. EVERYONE has their own knowledge to bestow, and it's important to always be open to listening to others ideas - even if you may disagree. I want my students to develop a lifelong passion for learning. I want them to find what motivates and intrigues them, then learn all they can about that subject and feel comfortable sharing their knowledge with others!

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I am an educator because I know when I model and set examples, it changes the surrounding environment positively. Without positive influences, life would be chaotic. The image below is a representation of how higher education can change lives.

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I am a teacher because I have learned by being a student the importance of what it means to have a great education and teacher who supports that journey. I want to be the teacher that my students look back on and knew that I cared or at least made a little a little difference to them in their journey of becoming what they wanna be when they grow up.

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Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson

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While growing up,I could never pinpoint what I wanted to be. I wanted to be an attorney, a dentist, a NASCAR racer, a pilot, a baker, and list list went on. In college I wanted to be a AG Teacher, a therapist, a child life specialist, a social worker, and a teacher. Once I graduated I was a caseworker and finally switched my career to primary education. I have learned something new from each class in college and career after college, I continually grow and embrace what one of my social work professors told me; "no knowledge is useless knowledge". As a teacher I enjoy using my past experience to help my students grow as well as myself. Education is something that should never stop, weather it be continuing on with higher education or completing trainings and certifications.

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Education is my passion.  If you ever want to have someone talk to you for hours and hours, just bring up the topic of learning to me and boy, you're going to get more than you bargained for.  I love learning, I love knowledge, I love helping kids find who they are as human beings and realize that there are endless possibilities.  In the immortal words of school house rock:
"As your body grows bigger
Your mind must flower
It's great to learn
'Cause knowledge is power"

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Watching students learn is like watching MAGIC!

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Watching students learn is like watching MAGIC!

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I am an educator because I love to watch kids learn new things and have fun while doing it! I also have a love for technology and I like to share my knowledge with others.

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In my lifetime we have evolved from talking to those around us to across the world.  Our models of learning have struggled to keep pace.  Replicating knowledge is  Exponential, not incremental.  There needs to be a voice.
Ernie Patterson

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Embrace it!  Masks are mandatory and capes are optional.  Be the super hero teacher.  Be extravagant. Be extra.  Be the person who takes things to another level and generates excitement.  Make them be so wrapped up in learning they forget we are in the middle of a pandemic!

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Embrace it!  Masks are mandatory and capes are optional.  Be the super hero teacher.  Be extravagant. Be extra.  Be the person who takes things to another level and generates excitement.  Make them be so wrapped up in learning they forget we are in the middle of a pandemic!

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I am an educator because I want to be my students cheerleader, support, and advocate! I always tell my students I have the best job in the universe because I get to work with children and watch them learn and grow. I try to be encouraging and supportive to them in all areas, not just content. I remind them it is okay not to know, but not okay to give up. I am there to teach them, support, and then watch as they bloom to independence.
Brittany Bay

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I try to be innovative in my thought process while implementing research-based best practices into my content.  This fresh approach leads to inspiration for the student and creates an environment for them to take ownership in their educational experience and improve their lives and their community.

This group of young men were bored with Environmental Science as they were seniors and this was the only science class they had left to take. I challenged them by providing different semester projects that would aid in protecting the environment. Out of this challenge, a school wide initiative led to a compost bin (using left-over nutrients from the cafeteria), recycling stations throughout the campus, and plant life in each classroom that was cared for by the students.

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Teaching is honorable!

After dealing with professional adults for 25 years I learned the value of the teaching profession.  This is why I do it. Teaching adults and children require different approaches and levels of patience, but teaching in all forms is an honorable profession. Believe me, I know! It sits right up there with firefighters, police and military. It is a critical building block of society. Look at the requirements below to fully understand what we do every day. Doing this is not a job or a career, it is a responsibility that most would not take.  With this pandemic we have found ourselves in the crossroads of our identity as people and as a nation. I feel education is one of the cornerstones of the pandemic recovery efforts. Perhaps just the beginning of evolution of the public education system as we know it. I know that teachers will raise to the occasion and deliver what the country needs. Teaching is honorable!

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I am an educator because I love children.  With all the craziness that continues to go on in this world, I want to be their light at the end of the tunnel.  I want their experiences with education to be positive and know there is always someone here to listen when they have something to say.  I want them to know they can succeed in anything they do and to never give up.  Being an educator enables me to tell my students and other children it's okay to be wrong and to not feel embarrassed or scared.  Children are our future and we need to embrace every minute with them we can.

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I would like to become an educator to help others learn how to become better individuals. I want to be able to have kids look back and say, "Mr.Fowler really changed my life". I believe that with proper preparation I can definitely achieve my dreams. I am a big believer in having a growth mindset and always being open to learning new ways to do things.

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I am an educator because I want to share what I have learned through education and life experiences. I have been fortunate to have people in my life that have made an impact on my education. Whether it was through experiences they have lived or knowledge they acquired in a book, educators passed some gold nuggets of wisdom to me. I want to do the same for all of the students that pass through my classroom door (or virtual classroom)! I feel that our future lies in the hands of our youth, so why not give them a head start and give them some tips to avoid some of the obstacles I have faced?!

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I am an educator because I love children. I want them to discover their unique gifts so  that they can live fulfilling and meaningful lives. I heard a father on a podcast say that babies are born with their hands closed because they are holding the gifts they are meant to give to the world. It is our job to help them open their hands and release those gifts! The wonder, enthusiasm, and potential of my students inspires me to give them my best every time I interact with them. In the words of Dr. John Trainer, “Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”

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I am an educator because knowledge truly is power. The more you know and teach others the more power you and them have in understanding and doing.

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I am an educator because I love helping others and seeing their love for learning grow! I create a safe and loving environment for my students. I have students working in small groups and utilizing their technology daily. I want to give my students life long experiences that they will look back on.

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I am an educator because I want to share my passion for learning and science with others. However, in order to share this passion, I believe it's imperative that you first show students that you care about them. I am an educator to build relationships with students by being a strong, positive role model for them.

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I am an educator because I want to create lifelong learners. While doing this, I want my kids to feel loved, safe, and cared for. I also love technology and incorporating that into my teaching.

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I am an educator because I am passionate about encouraging others' ability to critically think about and develop solutions to the problems they encounter.

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I am an educator because I want to help others and I have a passion for leadership and technology.