Becoming a Real Teacher??

My high energy and passion for teaching has led me to where I am today and that is an imaginative, effective teacher that has a lot of experience to offer.  I have always thought of myself as a different kind of teacher.  I believe that connecting with each student is the most important part about teaching.  They need to know that they are valued and important to a classroom before they will feel safe enough to learn.

I know that every student that walks through my door will be different than the next, and I not only look forward to it, but my role as a teacher relies on it.  Working with any group of children there will be a wide range of abilities and  it is important to understand that every student comes into the classroom with different understandings and different experiences.  Using student pairing and group work can allow for students of different levels to fine tune their skills by helping other who are not yet there.  Being able to have  students play an active role in the instruction is not only helpful to the teacher but can have a positive long lasting impact students by allowing them to be proactive and take on leadership roles.

I have a passion for working with youth and find it greatly rewarding. I have been a Youth Specialist Long Term Substitute working for New Hampshire Jobs for Americas Graduates, where I created highly differentiated lesson plans that meet the needs of a highly diverse group of High School Students.  As a member of the Adjunct Conference Staff for Boston University Sargent Center I worked with multiple age ranges and this work provided me with valuable experience working with individuals having diverse learning styles and physical needs. I also spent time over in the Dominican Republic teaching English to 5^th grade classrooms and seeing that even though I was not nearly as fluent as they were, I was able to communicate in other ways to help them understand.  Being a teacher means changing gears as often as you need to make sure that every student is able to understand the concepts you are teaching, and when I see a student finally ‘get it’, it makes every challenge along the way worth it. 

With all this being said, I am still not a 'Real' Teacher.  I sometimes wonder if I am going about this all the right way.  I am imaginative and super high energy and I love being able to teach and learn, but I can't seem to get my foot in the door to save my life.  Are there any 'Real' teachers out there with any advice on what to do?