Brian Kenneth
Sep 5, 2018 · 2 min read

I often like to reflect on who I am as a person and who I will become as a future educator for generations of students to come. As an individual I often like to describe myself as a classical laid back and dorky person, one who like to pretend I am performing in front of a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden to a medley of Britney Spears songs and even becoming the next Pokemon Master. Although these are both true facts, there is much more to me as an individual that often gets pushed to the side because we often fret from discovering who our true selves are and sharing that with others.

Growing up in an Italian household I have always had very strong ties to family and friends. It has always been important to me to show care and love for everyone because these were virtues installed in me at a very young age. It is important to get to know others for whom they are rather than find a label and stick that to the overal disposition of who that person is instead. Being apart of the LGBTQ community I have often been written off and labeled as an individual without having other get to know me first, which led to many difficulties growing up in regard to self esteem. It was not until I grew older, and learned to be proud of myself, that I was able to learn more of who I am and grow comfortable in my own skin. When viewing myself I am extroverted, always enjoying meeting new people, but I like to have moments to myself where I am able to think and focus on deeper questions in life and look at them from a more philosophical standpoint.

As a teacher I want to incoporate who I am into the classroom so that I am able to provide a comfortable and accepting environment for my students and make their school a second home to them. When looking at myself it is important to understand that history, and the social studies in the world, really plays apart into understanding others and making sure that people are able to get the love and care that they deserve. As individuals it is important to not clump a group of people together, even if they may have the same background. Having already taught at various schools in the urban setting, I have realized that as a teacher I want to make sure I value the ideas, aspirations, and character of every student that I meet and have the honor of teaching. I want to value who they are and the history of themselves in regard to their family and their own self. Every student has their own story to tell and as we learn about the stories of famous historical figures in social studies, the timeline of equations in math, and the evolution of life in Science, I want it to become apparent to my students that they will be appreciated. To be yourself and try your best is the most important thing I want to stress as a teacher to my students.

Brian Kenneth

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