The age group I am considering teaching is middle or high school students (6th-12th grade) in New Jersey public schools. This is a very important time for students in general. This is the time when they begin to develop who they are, what core interests they have, and what career path they want to take. During this period of time they become more aware of the problems and issues present in society. These problems may affect them during their high school years or may occur later in life. I want to prepare students to understand the problems they will face and give them the tools to address these problems for themselves and for society as a whole. The purpose of education as we discussed in the curriculum Intro to Social Studies and Analysis of Social Studies The lessons are numerous: One of the purposes is to provide students with the basic skills to be successful in their future careers and life. When I took over co-op teaching, I worked to have my students practice their writing skills more and more as the semester progressed. The second purpose is to provide students with knowledge of the curriculum hidden in Philip Jackson's article, Life In Classrooms, this idea is to give students the experience of interacting with others in social settings outside the home. The third goal is to provide students with a safe place to go. In many places across the country, cities are unsafe for students walking the streets. This was true for some classmates and their students in the Urban Education Program. The school seeks to provide a safe environment away from crime, drugs and violence. For example, one of my students during student teaching lived in a broken home environment. At school he could hang out with his friends... middle of paper... or work hard to achieve a goal in whatever they did in life. The education system is facing many problems and changes in direction in the overall mission of what public education should be. However, it is up to teachers to stay the course, focus on students to ensure they are able to handle whatever situation comes their way. I want students to learn through a combination of methods: group work, lectures, homework, essay writing, PowerPoint, and using multimedia. I want students to have the same learning in all these different activities to ensure we reach all the different types of students out there. Finally, I want to learn from the students themselves to be able to better meet their needs, expectations and interests. If I can accomplish this on a daily basis, I will be a successful teacher for these students.