Building your Professional Identity
In their article Becoming a Professional: Experimenting with Possible Selves in Professional Preparation, Matthew Ronfeldt & Pam Grossman suggest “that novices construct identities that fit into that world; part of the role of professional education is to help novices craft these professional identities” (Grossman and Hersh, 2008). I agree with this statement since, as teachers, you need to portray professionalism inside the classroom and outside in the community.
I feel that the practicums are an essential component because they help individuals to integrate themselves into the teaching community and develop professional identities. As a beginner teacher it is important that we have the ability to communicate, inspire, and motivate students, as well as understand each students' educational and emotional needs. By developing these essential skills we can guide our students.
Throughout this ongoing process, I learned a great deal about the teaching profession and also a lot about myself. I had to overcome my own insecurities in order to deal successfully with the classroom environment. Success is not always the outcome. I feel that it’s important as a teacher, to roll with it and just go with the flow in many circumstances. Just because you prepare what you think is an amazing lesson, does not mean it will go over well with the students or that you will even, have enough time to get through it. What works for some teachers will not work for others. I have also learned that we are all so different and bring forth an array of unique talents and abilities and that's what truly sets us apart. It’s important to remember that we can’t simply adopt approaches that we learn from our associates as our own and expect them to work just as well. Instead, we must truly look within ourselves well enough to identify our own personal qualities and wisdom and allow those to shape who we are as educators. I think that is what makes good teaching and allows our own personal identify to shine through.
C.D.
Ronfeldt, M., & Grossman, P. (2008). Becoming a professional: Experimenting with possible selves in professional preparation. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(3), Summer, 41-60