As I have not yet begun to practice teaching, I have had only a few experiences that have helped me to consider my ideal teaching values.  Yet I have had lots of time to dwell on what objectives are at the root of those values. Perhaps the most important of all the objectives I have thought of is grand enough to envelop most any other ideal that I could consider.  That objective is to teach the acquisition of life-long learning skills by teaching my students how to think, not what to think.  I deem that the following cliché speaks for itself: “Give a man a fish – feed him for a day.  Teach a man how to fish – feed him for a lifetime.”  In our ‘post-modern’ society that is hovering over the newest trend in the organization of thought, I trust that it is all too important to help children foster skills that will demonstrate their ability not only to keep learning, but to take responsibility in that learning by having ownership in their individual contribution to their learning development.

The means by which I plan to accomplish my above objective mainly lies in an approach significantly influenced and taught by the College of Education at Appalachian State University.  This approach – constructivism – greatly accompanies my above objective because it is an approach to teaching that is centered on having students construct their own knowledge, couple that knowledge with information cultured from prior learning experiences, and apply that knowledge in different ways to discover how best to use it.  In a constructivist-based classroom, students will actively participate in the learning process and continuously arrive at new approaches to solving a problem.  Hence, they will take ownership in what they learn and also, as it is absolutely imperative, review their own manner of thinking so that they can best arrive at a conclusion as to how to think about a solution.
 As for now, I see this philosophy as the best way for me to implement my knowledge and aptitude for teaching; if for no other reason than the fact that I hope to help people – grown or tiny – rise above the gates of ignorance.  This cannot be done by the overused conventional method of teaching that offers no other end than what to think.  The world is not about facts, figures, and pre-determined foundations.  It is about change that is fast-paced and it is about dealing with that change in the most effective way possible. In my opinion, the way in which this goal is attained is by teaching one how to think, for that is the key that unlocks the doors to knowing oneself, knowing “why”, and knowing that security can be found in an insecure society.