This is my first year of teaching. I am a 20-year Army veteran. My previous job was religious support operations, which included teaching emotional, spiritual, and relationship skills. I build from this experience in my classroom management and educational philosophy.  Students need structured leadership and guidance to develop into strong learners and citizens of the world. The 21st century presents a steep learning curve as the world requires more critical thinking, diversity awareness, and personal motivation for both individual and community growth. With this in mind, the curriculum and classroom is designed to develop young minds and prepare them for the dynamic world we live in. 

The 3rd grade course of study is rigorous with significant emphasis on understanding and applying information from non-fictional texts. Tasks lead to completion of research projects to build the necessary skills for future educational and professional development. Furthermore, mathematics goes beyond simple calculations but learning why the calculations work, and how to use the various tools and properties of mathematics to solve real-world problems.

The two skills that lead to successful learning are the desire to seek knowledge and the willingness to try something difficult. We can easily imagine these as big issues, but often the first steps can be the hardest. Getting students into reading by helping them find their interests ensures that students are invested in their learning. A student will more likely pick up a book on a topic they find intriguing from stories they hear from adults or videos they see only. The desire to seek out new knowledge is the basis of developing lifelong learners. 

The second component is engaging in activies that seem difficult. Often, the hardest struggle the students see is the need to pick up a pencil and work on a packet of work with more than a couple of questions. Building the endurance in writing and working diligently on assignements ultimatly reduces the reluctance to enage in the progessively more difficult lessons. The end of 3rd grade presents students with their first of many standardized testing sessions. While this is a culminative event, it is often the small challenges that hold students back. Breaking the fear of writing helps students to easily evaluate their own work and correct errors. 

Both students and the adults associated with this class, are charged with the need to prepare for the future challenges our world faces. I will strive to prepare my class to meet these challenges by building  personally-motivated, critical thinking, and diversity-aware young citizens.