Many people have been influential to education and helped shape our educational system how it is known today.  Each year new research is changes the face of education by helping to improve instructional practices and also increase student achievement.  One current contemporary figure in education is a researcher is John Hattie. John Hattie has been Director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia, since March 2011. Before that, he was Project Director of asTTle and Professor of Education at the University Of Auckland, New Zealand. He holds a PhD from the University Of Toronto, Canada (John Hattie - VISIBLE LEARNING) . Professor John Hattie he is most well-known for his research in the field of education. He has written two books Visible Learning and Visible Learning for Teachers. Both books focus on research based on studies covering more than 80 million students over 15 years. His research focuses on how students learn best in an educational setting and what instructional practices students can benefits the most from.

John Hattie’s research has been designed to help teachers see learning from the point of view of the leaners. In Hattie’s words: “what is most important is that teaching is visible to the students, and the learning is visible to the teacher. The more the student becomes the teacher and the more the teacher becomes the learner, then the more successful are the outcomes’ (Terhart, p. 430). Hattie’s research is the core of effective instruction.  Helping teachers to see what instruction looks like from the student’s point of view can only benefit the teacher and student. He is helping teachers change the way they look at education and classroom instruction. Hattie believes that feedback is an essential component to teacher and student growth. Too often teachers focus on social and behavior management feedback and not as much on academic feedback for students. When I thought about it, I do not give enough academic feedback or ask for feedback from students about my instruction. According to Terhart (2011), “not only is feedback from students to teachers is important. Also crucial is that a teacher gives feedback to his students and supports their learning, including the manner in which this is done” (p. 430). Hattie believes that the feedback allows students to take control of their learning. I am firm believer that allowing students to be actively involved in their success and make them more effective students.

Hattie has help me change my classroom instruction for my current and future students. I am able to not only focus on behavioral feedback, but academic feedback for maximum student achievement and growth. One of his books focus on the impact of specific instructional practices in and out the classroom, such as homework, class size, parent involvement, summer school, economic status, and host of other factors that effective student achievement. I have been able to adjust my classroom instruction based on his research. I used to give a lot of homework, but that research shows that homework does not have as much an impact on student achievement as once thought.

A historical figure that made am impact on history was B.F Skinner. B.F skinner was an American psychologist known for his studies on behaviorism. He was born in 1904 and died in 1990.  Skinner started to develop an interest in scientific reasoning from his extensive study of the works of Francis Bacon. He went on to receive a B.A. in English literature in 1926 from Hamilton College (B. F. Skinner: The Life of Psychology's "Radical Behaviorist")

            I am interested in Skinner because I believe that his studies on behaviors and conditioning can be related to the classroom and how students behave. Student misbehavior is an issue that every teacher faces daily. Often teaching cannot tack place without effective classroom management. Often students will behave based on rewards or punishment system. I believe this to be true. Skinner believed that positive and negative punishments can weaken behaviors. I use this in my classroom daily, and I may give silent lunch or take away recess. I believe that for majority of students this works and makes my classroom management effective.

My desire to continue to grow professionally and become a better educator has fueled my passions advocating for students with disabilities and becoming more familiar with factors that affect student achievement. By pursing my degree and accomplishing my goals, I can be more knowledgeable in these areas and lead by example by becoming a teacher leader or mentor in the school.

B. F. Skinner: The Life of Psychology's "Radical Behaviorist" (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_skinner.htm

John Hattie - VISIBLE LEARNING. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://visible-learning.org/john-hattie/

Terhart, E. (2011). Has John Hattie Really Found the Holy Grail of Research on Teaching? An Extended Review of "Visible Learning". Journal Of Curriculum Studies, 43(3), 425-438.

Consider this scenario: Imagine that you are in an elevator on your way to a National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference. Someone sees your identification badge and asks you about the conference. You explain that you are attending a conference for early childhood professionals. The person laughs and replies, “What’s an early childhood professional? Someone who babysits all day?”

In the 2 or 3 minutes you have with this person, develop an “elevator speech” that explains how you define your role as an early childhood professional, and identify at least three evidence-based reasons why early childhood professionals are vitally important to society and the early childhood field.

“What is an early childhood professional?”, you ask.  An early childhood professional can be considered a host of different roles from teachers, daycare workers, social workers, principals, coaches or school counselors. These are the people that are shaping our youth and they will one day become the doctors, lawyers, public servants, business owners and early childhood professionals of our next generations. As an educator, my job is much more than a glorified babysitter. Often times, I hear that teachers have it made weekend off, holidays off, and the summer. However, teaching is not a job that ends when you clock out and requires much preparation and time in and out of the classroom. Often, teachers are overlooked for their hard work and receive not overtime pay for those long hours preparing for their students. My job as an “early childhood professional” is never ending. Even after my students leave at the end of the day, it begins again with faculty meetings, parent-teacher conferences, committee meetings, paperwork, or tutoring struggling students. Also, my nights and weekends are far from relaxing and carefree, I am often grading papers, preparing for the next week’ lesson, returning parent emails, or researching new ideas on improving my classroom instruction. In any other job you have job description and this all you are expected to do. However, as an early childhood professionals are not just teachers, we are doctors, nurses, counselors, referees, coaches, social workers, custodians, and sometimes parents. We never have to option to say that is not my job, we have to step up and make sure our students’ needs are met in almost every aspect daily. Making sure that our students are not only growing only academically but also socially and emotionally. We are not just educators, we are life changers. Early childhood professional are vital to the field of education because we make sure that children are ready for college or the workforce, making sure parents are positively involved in their child’s education, and developing well rounded children.

            One day these young minds will be shaping our next generations and it is our job as teachers to make sure they are ready to enter colleges, universities, or the work force. In an effort to prepare today’s 21^st century learners and make sure that they are college and career ready, many states are adopting district, state, or national standards. According to Neuman (2103), “To be ready for college and the workforce, students will need the ability to gather, comprehend, and evaluate information and ideas in multiple media” (p. 10). With that being said, many states and school districts are ensuring that a set of learning expectations are put into place to guide teacher curricula and instruction in the classroom.

Even with all the advancements in technology teachers will always be necessary. Parental involvement is at an all-time low in schools and teachers are needed to build those relationships.  I believe that parents are the core of their child’s success, and through increased parental involvement, schools can also see an increase in overall student achievement. As Von Otter (2014) stated, “parental involvement has been shown to lower the risk of school failure and drop out by reducing problem behavior at school” (p. 557). As a teacher, I constantly try to build positive relationships with my students’ parents to encourage their involvement in and outside the classroom, especially as I know how important their role and presence is in their child’s life. According to Von Otter (2014), “Parents’ involvement raises adolescents’ aspirations for the future and is positive for children’s academic motivation and study persistence by enhancing their self-esteem” (p. 557).

As teachers we are expected to not just help students grow academically but socially and emotionally as well. According to Baumgartner and Buchanan (2010), “teaching is about providing an environment in which children can learn not only meaningful lessons specific to subject matter(such as numbers and letters), but also social lessons that support broader learning goals, like caring for others , being part of community, and working to create positive change (p.91).  At the end of the day, we are not just educators, we are life changers.

Baumgartner, J. J., & Buchanan, T. (2010). Supporting Each Child's Spirit. Young Children, 65(2), 90-95.

Neuman,S.B., &Roskos, K. (2013). Why common core matters: What parents need to know. Reading Teacher, 67(1), 9-11

Von Otter, C. (2014). Family resources and mid-life level of education: A longitudinal study of the mediating influence of childhood parental involvement. British Educational Research Journal, 40(3), 555–574.