Podcasting continued.....

The following is the text from the podcast I did for ed 533. All of the bold text was when my girlfriend, Colleen, was talking. The regular text was me. We did it in the style of a radio interview. I explained why I wanted to become a teacher, and what my personal teaching philosophy was.....

Hi, I’m April O’Neil, thanks for tuning into Teacher Radio. I have a special guest with me today, please welcome Stephen Brobeck to our program. Hi Stephen.

Hello April. Thanks for having me.

It says here that you would like to become a teacher someday. What made you come about that decision?

Well, April - I’ve wanted to become a teacher for a long time. Every year my family gets together for a reunion and my favorite part of it is hanging out with my younger cousins. I have always enjoyed talking with them because I can relate to them on a level that shows my experience in life but at the same time treats them with respect and makes them feel like their opinion matters. And its because of this that several family members have told me many times that I would be very well suited in a career in education. This, along with the facts that I have always loved sports and being active and my favorite classes have always been PE classes. I decided in high school that the best way for me to continue to have sports as a major part of my life was to be a PE and Health teacher.

That’s wonderful, stephen.- have you had any experience working with children in school type settings?

Yeah, actually I was a student PE teacher at Fernwood Middle School for two college terms for my senior internship. Lets see, my senior capstone consisted of me volunteering twice a week at a different school where I worked in the PE department one day a week and in a second grade classroom the other. My time spent at these two schools solidified my notion that being a middle school teacher is exactly how I want to spend the rest of my professional life.
I loved every day I spent time in both of these schools and I cherished my interactions with both, the students and the teachers. I am extremely glad that through the masters program at Concordia my goal of becoming a teacher is becoming a reality.

Well it sounds like you’re well suited for a job in the education field. What exactly is your personal teaching philosophy?

I believe that school should be a safe learning environment where students can feel comfortable expressing themselves and their opinions. I think a teacher needs to be a teacher before schools starts and well beyond when the final school bell rings. By this I mean that as teachers we are all going to be role models for any student we come across. This is whether they are in our class or even just a member of our schools student body. I want to teach my kids to respect one another and their elders. And I want each and every one of them to know that they matter to me and that they can make a difference in whatever they choose to do with their lives.

Well thanks for sharing your thoughts with us this evening. We’ll be right back after we pause for station identification....