My two wonderful daughters are my inspiration when I decided to start my journey to be a teacher. Through their curious eyes, wandering minds and energy filled hands and feet, they fueled me to search for experiences that will occupy our days and satisfy their yearnings for something more.
People say parents are the first teachers. What I didn’t know was parents are more than the first teachers, parents are also the first models for our children. Does this mean that whoever our children became or not, we as parents played a vital role in making it happen? With this idea in mind, how am I doing as my children’s model? I don’t exactly look like Gigi Hadid, the supermodel but I want to be the best model for my children. How can this be done? By spending time in the gym? Through diet? Or by looking within? What do I know? What am I capable of? I am already their first teacher. Am I their best model?
What Do I Know?
Through my teaching journey, I was introduced to social learning theory proposed by a psychologist named Albert Bandura. Social learning theory exposes another way of how people learn with these three core concepts (Cherry, 2019), 1) People can learn through observation; 2) Internal mental states are an essential part of this process; and 3) Recognize that just because something has been learned, doesn’t mean it will result in a change in behavior.
Observation and modeling play a primary role in social learning. As a model to our children, parents influence their learning behavior. A person’s self system consists of attitudes, abilities and cognitive skills which also plays a role in how we perceive situations and how we behave in response to different situations. Parents contribute in building or strengthening our children’s self efficacy. Strong self efficacy or our belief in our own ability to succeed plays a role in how we think, how we act, and how we feel about our place in the world. Learning can happen that may not manifest immediately.
What am I capable of?
I am inexorable of opportunities carefully disguised as challenges. I have my share of challenges from childhood to parenthood. From being raised by a single mother with limited source of income, to persevering to be accepted and graduate from the best university, to giving up the job and position you work hard for to focus on raising your children, to giving birth to a 26 weeks old baby. All these are opportunities disguised as challenges that help me grow, develop and persevere as a person. There might be times that I want to stay in my comfort zone, believe that I can’t do anything to make my situation better, but I know deep down hard-work and perseverance will be rewarded. Positive, grateful thoughts are powerful. It can move you away from your comfort zone and closer to your dream. Success, small or big, is to be celebrated. My support system is strong, always ready to share affirmations, experiences, advice, and helping hand. I know I am fueled to continue my learning journey for myself, my children, and now for other parents and for my learners.
Am I their best model?
I am trying to be the best model for my kids. I know I will always strive to exemplify the attitude and values that work best for me. Sometimes these values will be right but for those times that I may fail, at least my children can learn from my experiences and outcomes. My children are still very young, their world might revolve around our family. I can influence them, I can teach them our family values and principles, we can embrace and encourage experience rich learning and help build their belief in their own ability to succeed. My experiences can influence and equip them as they face the real world. But as they grow up, their world will become bigger, there will be more models for them that will influence their behavior, their attitudes, abilities and how they view, interpret,and act. And make the world a better place. .
As I continue my learning journey, I will not only be my children’s model. There will be students, peers and parents learning from me. Not only in what I teach, what instructional activities I will facilitate but also from the outcomes I can deliver. I can be a model for them. I want to give my best so I can make an impact in improving the teaching and learning process.
Charry's Teaching Odyssey 