I believe all students deserve a chance. A chance to learn, a chance to participate, a chance to be heard...simply a chance. As I aspire to be a teacher and continue to do so, I always believed that everybody has no limits with what they can do if they are simply given a chance. My idea about creating environments for students is one that leaves all judgements, prejudices, and assumptions at the door. In my classroom all students are given a chance to try, succeed, and let their voice be heard without fear of backlash. When students feel that there is a sense of respect and harmony within the classroom, they begin to express themselves openly and that is where learning can begin. As I continued to grow my love for education through seminars, classes, and workshops, I noticed that more and more students needed a chance to demonstrate themselves, but in a world so diverse and connected, more needed to be done to let these students have a chance. The classroom is constantly changing and the students I see year from year differ, so it is important that I keep my instruction and activities as differentiated and filled with different learning styles as possible. Each student is different and learns both content and language differently. As a teacher, I always liked to refer back to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence. Gardner’s theory expands the idea of intelligence and outlines distinct intellectual competencies that many can align with. Teaching and assessing students in the same manner always reminds me of judging all animals' intelligence on their ability to climb a tree. Just like how some animals may not be able to climb a tree, some students may not learn well under some conditions. However, that does not mean they are not intelligent. Students learn in many different ways and I employ multiple modalities of learning for students as many times as possible in the classroom. I am always a big fan of incorporating as many intelligences as possible that I see the students are keen on because it gives each student not only a chance, but multiple chances to be a part of the fun of the learning process. I think it's important for all students to be exposed to as many visuals as possible as well. Although not all learners are exactly visual learners, visuals are essential to get students thinking, no matter where they are in language or content proficiency. A picture is worth a thousand words and everybody has something to say when they are shown a visual. I like to give students that chance to just get their brains thinking and connect words to images or other visuals. I give them the chance to build those connections as many times as possible. As students are being exposed to all these different mediums of information, it can only go somewhere if it can actually mean something. I try to give students that meaning as much as humanly possible through authentic, realistic, and applicable activities and practices. I like to put students in the shoes of real-time activities that they may actually be a part of in the future. These types of activities give students a chance to see what they are learning working in progress. No lesson can be effective if it does not mean anything to the students. Finding meaning for my students may seem like a difficult task, but as I love what I do for a living, I find it fun discovering all that I can about students and that only drives my lessons to be that much better. All lessons should be focused around the student; not only in the activities that they do and how they receive the information, but what information they are receiving. Students are actively involved in deciding the content they learn about, especially when it comes to history classes. Allowing students to choose what they want to learn about and how they will learn about it and present it goes a long way in the classroom. By showing this care and interest in how the students want to learn and what they want to learn, student engagement is always through the roof. Learning is not a chore anymore, it becomes something to look forward to. As students who are learning English are involved, they will be more willing to participate and practice their language use in class. This is because they are given the chance to choose and be heard in the classroom before learning even begins. When students feel they are in control of their learning and experience, there is no telling where they will end up. Students can become unstoppable forces when they are given an area to try what they don’t know and are given the chance to flourish and grow no matter how many times they fall down. When I say that I want to give my students a chance, it does not mean to just learn. It means a chance to experience the opportunities to grow as a person, a member of a community, and as a citizen through empowering them with abilities, skills, and knowledge that will help them through all areas of life. All students deserve a chance and the only one who is standing in the way of that opportunity is us, the teacher. Well I refuse to be in the way. I refuse to take that chance for a student to learn even if it means putting my blood, sweat, and tears all day and night to create these opportunities for the students. I will be the water that allows the seeds of chance and opportunity in students to grow and become the very best they can be, no matter where they choose to take themselves in life.