On the road to teaching

Hello again.

More about me....

I'm currently attending National University full time and finishing up my last few classes at San Diego City College, and on my way to a BA in Mathematics with a single subject teaching credential.  I would also like to get a credential in school administration. I have 12 classes left at National and I should begin my student teaching in the Spring of 2016. I've been working nights for 13 years now and I'm nervous and anxious about transitioning to a "normal" job. I recently put in an application for a high school instructional aid, so I'm hoping to get an early start on that transition and switch to working two part-time jobs while finishing school. That means a lot more work, but I can't wait! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

How does my personality type affect my new career choice?

Now that I have identified my ISTJ personality, I'll discuss how it affects being a teacher. The strongest character trait of ISTJ personality types that puts them at an advantage for career success is perseverance. Typical ISTJ's tend to become business executives, accountants, police officers, judges, lawyers, computer programmers, or military leaders. So why teaching for me? I've always wanted to teach math. This isn't because I had the best math teachers growing up or because I really enjoy school, but because I love math. I know many people do not enjoy math, but that is the precise reason that I'm motivated to teach others. I wish I had more teachers growing up that seemed to love the subject they were teaching.

I like that math has rules. This is where my ISTJ personality comes into play. I like logic and rational thinking. I'm also a visual learner. I prefer to see diagrams, videos, and I like to read lips while someone is speaking.

My ISTJ personality will make me a good teacher due to my desire to follow through on tasks, my high level of dependability, my appreciation of structure, my natural ability to lead, and my profound respect for facts and concrete information. I am extremely observant and I will recognize when my students are grasping concepts or struggling. I will maintain high standards and expectations in my classroom, which experts have maintained as the best learning environment for students.

In order to help my students succeed, I will use a variety of techniques that appeal to multiple learning styles. I will use interactive activities that allow my students to work in groups, pairs, or even individual assignments that require students to access information using hands-on techniques. Working with others is essential in learning math. I will help my students learn to organize their ideas through notes and outlines, which is especially helpful to verbal/auditory learners. Students will learn to summarize and sketch information, which will help visual learners prepare for examinations. I will help my students tap into their active and reflective abilities to learn.

There's more to come, so stay tuned....

See you soon,
Elizabeth