When I was young, I loved to play school with my dolls and other stuffed animals like so many children still do today.  Now the playfulness is gone and hopes for a life long career have set in.  Often I have sat down to think about the different approaches to teaching and what my tactic will be when the classroom is in my hands.  Will the students gain the right amount of knowledge?  Will the teaching approach be effective?  What is my philosophy of teaching?  What are my goals as a teacher?  When thinking about methods of teaching, three words come to mind: imagination, learning, and drama.
     Webster’s Dictionary defines imagination as the “act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality, a creation of the mind”.  An instructor must allow room for children to use their imagination.  Letting children be individuals is so important in today’s society.  All children are equipped with the gift of imagination and it is the instructor’s responsibility to allow each child to explore their own particular gift.  If children’s imaginations are harbored and they are not allowed to explore their possibilities, they may never come out of their shell.  All children should be allowed to discover the unlimited potential of their imaginations.  An instructor must be an open door for the students, someone with whom they feel comfortable enough to share their ideas.  My goal as a teacher is to be able to ask the right questions so that the students can successfully reflect on what is going on in their mind.
    It is my observation that school is a world full of learning opportunities.  First, there is teamwork.  Each child must work with each other to get the total and full experience of learning.  There are many projects that must be completed and many assignments that must be done together.  By building teamwork in the classroom, students take that knowledge with them into the world and can work with almost anyone.  If they are given the opportunity to work as a team in the classroom, when the students start looking for jobs, it will be easier for them to work with other people.
    The second thing that I hope to teach, even to the youngest of students, is patience.  With the end of course tests it is stressed that there is a definite right or wrong answer, a time limit, and other restrictions.  Instead of having patience, most students are anxious to get on with the next thing.  In my classroom, however, I hope to instill in my students that they must learn to think instead of writing down a, b, c, or d.  In order to think, they must be patient to fully think through the problem.  Even though there will be a right and wrong answer, if they are patient, then they will be able to make it through to the answer and not simply rush on to the next question.
    A final point in the learning that takes place in a classroom is communication.  Communication is an important aspect in today’s world.  Without it, there would be constant war, pain, and poverty.  It is essential to begin teaching communication skills to very young children.  If they learn miscommunication instead of proper communication, conflicts can arise.  Skills, such as math and writing and perfection of language, will be used on a daily basis.
    One thing I hope to incorporate in my classroom is drama and I know that theatre in the class is life changing.  I hope that my classroom will be a learning situation disguised in a playful and entertaining environment. Students are able to develop the skills that are needed in everyday life, particularly the three skills mentioned above, plus public speaking, discovering one’s self, knowing when it is appropriate to act like a clown and when it is time to be serious and loving, and learning that it is always a good idea to play, no matter what our age.
    My teaching philosophy can be summed up in one sentence.  “One hundred years from now… it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of child.”  Through the use of drama, lots of reading, teaching patience, communication skills, and teamwork, leaving space for students to grow, and thousands of hugs, this quote becomes reality.