In the United States, public education has long been regarded as a means of nurturing young people into educated citizens able to function in society.  Teachers, therefore, play a pivotal role cultivating both academic talents and social awareness in their students.   My motivation for being a science teacher is grounded in my desire to help youth develop into socially adept and aware adults who are able to make wise decisions about themselves and the world in which they live.  As a science teacher, it is my mission to guide young adults in their academic pursuits while teaching both the ability to solve problems via inquiry and the ability to live in a diverse society.  I hope to excite students about the wonderful realm of the natural world, impart students with a love of science and contribute to their understanding of important biological phenomena.  Beyond science, I have a desire to educate youth about existing together and caring for the world in which we live.    

School has different purposes whether serving the general society or the individual student.  In general, a quality education is explicitly seen as a source of economic development for the United States.  Education dollars are specifically allocated for use in fields, such as science and math, which will directly impact the economic prosperity of the United States.  Such a purpose may serve a greater good for the country in the long term, but for me, the most salient of the purpose of public schooling in the United States is equity in opportunity for individuals.  In other words, I view school as a source of equal opportunity.  Through the teaching of science, I hope to expose all young people to some of the vast array of the opportunities available to them and to points of view that they may not encounter for the rest of their lives.  Since adults tend to congregate with people of similar viewpoints, it is vital that young adults are able to experience and examine a variety of philosophical positions while in school. 

Additionally, I hope to teach students to construct their own knowledge; to not take what other people say is true as fact.  Through the teaching of scientific inquiry, I have optimism that I will educate my students on the ability to make sound decisions based on evidence, rather than on personal opinion.  Science education must train students for critical thinking.  I agree with Martin Luther King, Jr. (1948), who said, “To think incisively and to think for one's self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half-truths, prejudices, and propaganda. To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education.  Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.“

I hope to cultivate students with a feeling of ownership and responsibility over what they learn.  I believe that the most important role I have as a teacher is that of guide: not an oracle of truth, but rather someone to provide the tools and supplies necessary for the journey, teach the students how to interpret the road map for themselves, point out interesting details along the path, and lead only when and where the intellectual terrain gets rough.  Although as the teacher I will be the authoritative figure in the classroom, I hope not be in absolute control of classroom activities and interactions.  As the facilitator, I will create an environment in which the students can perform at their best by determining the general structure of the course and allowing the students to contribute to their knowledge and experience to the content of the majority of classroom activities.  I will organize the planning and pacing of instruction, monitor student progress, conduct brief lectures and provide explanations that lead to student-centered activities such as interviews, role-play, and problem based learning.  However, I will often provide students the jurisdiction to manage activities that involve interaction and communication with peers as well as activities that involve planning and conducting meetings and presentations.  I will encourage students to work together in activities that require the application of knowledge and skills in interactive and communicative activities. 

As I reflect on my experiences in the classroom, I have become aware of the influence that a teacher has on the development of character.  As a science teacher, I will not only be teaching about a subject matter, I will also be teaching about being a member of a community.  Although not blatantly stated as a goal of public education, an implicit goal of education must be to impart students with cultural morals, such as honesty, perseverance, caring, justice, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness.   The modeling of a successful community (in a classroom context) will grant my students with conditions that foster their social growth and educational development.  I greatly anticipate the setting up of a positive, productive classroom community in which the teacher is not the dominating force.  If students in public school are to learn to be together in a community and think for themselves, then the classroom teacher must not dominate the learners and the learning environment.  Rather, as a teacher I hope to facilitate learning, to manage and initiate activities, and to promote communication and interaction in an intrinsically motivating classroom environment.   

I have learned that for students to 1) learn about being a member of a community, 2) be equally exposed to a variety of opportunities and 3) to construct knowledge students must know that school is a safe place to make mistakes.  In order for students to feel responsible and safe, they must have the feeling that I, the teacher, care more about them as people than about my subject area.  To communicate a caring and/or concerned nature, I must construct and form positive relationships with my students.  After all, cooperation between two individuals will come better after a relationship has been formed.  Teaching is one of the most demanding careers one can choose. Yet it is also one of the most rewarding.  Being a science teacher is an honor, and it gives me the unique and rewarding opportunity to combine my commitment to science and my commitment to young people.