What is the most important thing you do as an educator? How do we figure out the answer to that question? Should we rank them? Should we prioritize them? How do we do everything? Here is a quick list of what to consider when thinking about these questions…
– Routines and procedures
– Academic content
– Social and emotional development
– Physical development
– Relationships with parents
– Relationships with students
– Growing in my profession
– Attending meetings
– Attending professional learning communities
– Communicating with parents
– Lesson planning
– Interventions
– Data analysis
– Classroom management
– Staying current on technology
The list of responsibilities for educators is daunting. The answers to the previous questions will depend on several factors. It will depend on your student’s age/grade level, teaching experience, personal feelings, professional obligations, and the area you teach in.
For me, the answer to the questions relies on the knowledge of my students. I am a National Board Certified Teacher. I certified in December of 2020. Throughout my journey of going through the process, I discovered one of the most important factors in shaping students’ lives is using knowledge of child development to understand the whole child. This includes their physical, cognitive, language, social, emotional, moral, and ethical development.
If I look at the list, all the responsibilities can be addressed if we understand the whole child. When you have 24 students in your class, that can seem unattainable at times. We need to figure out the best ways to reach all learners. To provide engaging lessons, meaningful interventions, collect data, communicate with parents and students, we need to understand many aspects of their lives. We can’t just use the “cookie-cutter” teaching style. We can’t just “do what we have always done.”
Each school year, we are presented with unique individuals with different strengths and needs. Our curriculum may remain the same from one year to the next, but how we present that material to a new group of learners will be the foundation of bringing excitement and joy to the teaching and learning process. When looking back up at the list, my answers could be different from year to year, but one thing remains the same and that is that I need to build positive relationships with my students. I am fortunate, I get to be with the same group of students for the entire day. I realize that not all educators are given the gift of time like elementary educators are.
What are the most important aspects of being an educator? The answer is different for everyone. It may change from year to year. The important thing is to take time and reflect on the priorities in your classroom. For me, it is knowledge of the whole child and building relationships with my students. I can address any issue on the list if I know enough about my students. What are your priorities in your classroom this year?
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Sarah Kirchoff
Sarah Kirchoff is an instructional coach in Mesa Public Schools. She has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education. She began her teaching career way back in August 1999, when everyone was worried about Y2K. She did not even have computers in her classroom at that time! Since then, she has taught first grade for four years, preschool for three years, second grade for two years and kindergarten for twelve years. She has worked for three different school districts during her teaching career. During this time, she has been able to identify which grade she found to be the most enjoyable. Her greatest teaching passion is for kindergarten. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University. She was teacher of the year at her school in the 2019-2020 school year. She became a National Board Certified Teacher as an Early Childhood Generalist in December of 2020. She currently serves on numerous committees at her school including school site council, the instructional leadership team, and the culture and climate team. She is a mentor teacher at her school and has mentored numerous interns and student teaching candidates. When she is not busy with school commitments, she spends time with her family. She has a husband who is also a teacher, and four children. Two of which are students at NAU and two that are in high school. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading books and spending time with family, friends and her two dogs. Children need a teacher that is always advocating for them, socially, emotionally, and academically. Sarah wants every student she encounters to realize their potential and she is willing to help in any way she can. The impact early childhood educators have on students reaches far beyond their younger years. Sarah wants to leave a positive impact on her students so they can continue to have wonderful educational experiences beyond her classroom and school.