Philosophy of Education

     At an early age, children often have dreams of having adventurous occupations when they grow up.  They imagine themselves being firemen, surgeons, professional athletes, and movie stars.  Growing up, I never really imagined myself to be anything extravagant like that.  Since the age of five, I have always wanted to be a teacher.  In my view at that age, a teacher might as well have been a movie star.  I thought teachers were the greatest people I would ever encounter.  They had the best jobs because they got to spend a majority of their day with twenty or more children and feed them the knowledge that would affect them for the rest of their lives.  I chose this profession because of my passion for children and learning.
     I became a teacher because of my great love of learning and my desire to continue my education throughout my lifetime.  I plan to always use new ideas and techniques in the classroom.  I strongly believe that the best teachers encourage individuality and awareness of self in their students.   I want my students to realize that there is no perfect way of doing things.  Children should learn and develop through their own exploration and ideas.  A teacher is the person who facilitates this growth.
     As a teacher, I want my students to see me as a person who is willing and able to help them in any way.  Children spend a majority of their day in school.  Therefore, I want to be the positive role model who makes a difference in their lives.  Teaching, to me, is like having twenty or more children of my own and getting to make a positive impact on each of their lives.  Many educators complain about the pay and that they get no credit for what they do but I feel that knowing I am responsible for the future and am such a positive role model for all the children I teach is the biggest reward a person can receive.  Teaching has to be one of the most internally rewarding jobs there is.
    My main philosophy of education is that learning should be an enjoyable experience.  I had a positive experience in school and I would like my students to enjoy it as much as I did.  Many children do not enjoy school because they follow the same routine everyday.  I hope as a teacher I can find ways to make the children enjoy what they are learning and therefore grasp the concepts they are expected to learn more easily.  I want my student to have a thirst for knowledge and be active in all they do.  I want to see that thirst grow throughout the years because learning is a never-ending process.