By Rondie George
I believe that teaching is a gift. You must be a lover of education and people to make the profession a positive place to be. You wear many hats: mentor, role model, counselor and friend. The main reason that I teach is because I love students and I am rewarded by seeing others become successful. Teaching has been my passion ever since I was nineteen years old. I have hundreds of students who I have inspired and assisted throughout my career. There must be a daily yearning embedded within your heart and mind. You cannot be taught to become a teacher. It must be the driving force in your entire body in order to accomplish success daily.
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Minor in Spanish which I obtained from the University of the Virgin Islands. I hold a Master’s Degree in Education with a specialization in Reading from National University. As an educator for the past 25 years, I’ve been honored to be Teacher of the Year multiple times and hold leadership positions in North Carolina, the Virgin Islands and, currently, Florida. I exist in the field of education because of my love for students and because of my desire to impart knowledge to students who may need a boost of wisdom, reasoning and a positive push. I always strive to bring out the best in others, take pride in preparing quality lessons, and activities and reward students for effort and excellence. I believe that it takes an entire community to raise and nurture a child. We must take the initiative to assist our students in developing lifelong skills take will take them through their successful career.
I believe that the focus must be on developing individual learning to meet the needs of our students. I want to meet each child at his/her level and allow them to show daily growth, while moving toward proficiency and beyond. I place emphasis on the learning experiences within the classroom by motivating students and encouraging them to become active learners, and to allow them to make connections to real life situations. I must consistently incorporate activities that will attend to cultural differences and diverse learners, and allow students to know that I respect and admire what each child brings to the table.
My dedication and commitment to the teaching profession is renewed each day. I give teaching my all, daily, with the idea in mind that I only have but a year with a class to make a positive difference. My daily reward comes from me seeing happiness, excitement and success on the faces and in the hearts of my students. I am not motivated by compensation or material gains. Teaching is a profession that calls for you to exercise patience, understanding, critical thinking, consideration, dedication and commitment, but most of all, love, true love and a genuine concern for the improvement of our students. To teach is to touch the lives of others forever.