To Be a Better Teacher: A Critical Self-Reflection

Abstract

In this paper, I aimed to answer the following questions in order to find potential avenues of improving my present conditions as a teacher: What does it mean to be a teacher? What will it take to be a better teacher? I utilized critical reflections of my teaching experience thus far to analyze and interpret the sense of dread that I have come to associate with being a teacher. First, I aimed to uncover the source of this dread and investigate how it is perpetuated. Then, I juxtaposed my K-12 education experience with my college experience to identify the lack of community in K-12 schools as a reason as to why the dehumanization of students and teachers has become normalized in our society. I make the case for democratic education as a potential response to the dehumanizing education currently found in schools. Finally, I use theories from John Dewey and Paulo Freire to look into my future in the profession as a more democratic educator.