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My                     Philosophy

 

   

 

 

   I believe in education. Now seemingly this is a strange statement, to “believe” in education, but my passion for being an educator, and devoting my life to educating others, stems from that I believe in what I do.  I believe in how I spend my days, I believe in the endless time and effort my colleagues and teacher world-wide give to their students, and mostly I believe in the power in having a good education.

 

   The power of a good education is one that not all people have the opportunity to get and not all that have it appreciate it.  In today’s world it is unfortunate that there are times where as an educator, where as someone who has chosen to spend her life educating others, I find myself defending my profession.  Very few people, other than educators, get to know what its like, get to experience what its like to be involved in something so grand.  Now usually on a day-to-day basis grand is not a word I would use to describe my life as a teacher; the good, bad and otherwise challenging interactions I have with my students, their parents, my colleagues and even my administration, usually define my days.  However, as a teacher being able to provide a good education to my students, being able to inspire, connect and influence others is indeed a grand concept. 

   My passion for becoming a teacher stems from many parts of my life. Over the years as I have become more familiar with my identity, and myself and as my interests have expanded, my passion for teaching has grown and my aspirations have evolved. It is the enjoyment and satisfaction that I get when I am able to successfully explain an idea or concept to someone else that shapes my true passion for teaching.  It is my great desire to reach out to people and truly connect with them, and my amazement and constant curiosity of the world of science that equates to my enthusiasm for teaching. Part of being an effective science teacher is being able to relate science to one’s experiences in the world and the many challenges it holds. Opening the eyes of my students to all that college, the work force, the global community and life in general have to offer is a key component to both the success of my students and my own success as a teacher.  This is what drives me to be a teacher.  I want to use what knowledge and experience I have to help connect with my students and inspire them to journey out on their own to find what their life’s passion may be, like teaching is for me.

  Science, in its most fundamental form is the answer to all of life’s curiosities: it is what you eat, how you breathe, how you see, and an explanation of the world and it’s many wonders.  Science is truly everything.  A basic understanding of science and its fundamental principles will allow students to become more knowledgeable citizens, medical patients and consumers.  It will provide them with the necessary critical thinking, logic and reasoning skills to be informed voters, as well as informed and intelligent individuals.  A basic understanding of science can give students the key tools to be responsible advocates for what they believe in and feel passionately about.

 

   Part of the challenge that I face as a teacher is being able to create lessons and activities that will work best for all of my students.  By varying the type of lesson I teach, whether it be hands-on laboratory activities, inquiry activity cycles, group projects or application activity cycles, and by having a teaching style that allows each student to express their understanding in their own way, allows both the students and myself to enjoy and be successful with the material we cover in the classroom.  I am a firm believer that students who take an active role in their own education will be more successful and learn more not just about the subject matter, but also about themselves as individuals, students and learners.  Because of this I often ask my students about what interests them and use that to connect to what we are learning so that they can feel a part of their own education and be interested in what we are learning.  I encourage the students to take responsibility and control of their decisions, choices and education, all of which can be seen through my specific teaching style.

 

    Through the use of both formal and informal assessments, I evaluate the students’ understanding, but I also have them evaluate themselves, and see if they can analyze what and where they may have gone wrong and how they think they can resolve an issue.  I believe this is more effective then me simply telling or showing them.  

 

   In my classroom I hope that students feel comfortable to question the world around them and to explore topics that interest them in hopes that they will find inspiration, passion and a worthwhile experience.

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