If you ask my administrators what the ultimate goal is for my students; they would most likely say “to prepare my students so that they will score proficient on the state exams when they enter 4th and 5th grades”.  If you ask me what my goals are for my students, I would say that I want them to become lifelong learners, to become independent, to become good citizens, and to become productive members of society.  In order for my students to meet these goals, they will have to learn to read, add, subtract, etc. so it is my job to provide an environment where they are given opportunities to learn.  I believe children learn best through play and hands-on experiences.  I don’t think me lecturing is going to teach them anything………..my job as the teacher is to design instruction in the form of games and hands-on activities that will captivate their interests and help them learn the content.  The teacher’s role as an educator, in my opinion, is more of a facilitator and the students’ construct their own knowledge from the experiences the teacher sets up in the classroom.