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“A lifetime of learning starts with a
single moment of wonder”
-Anonymous
"Be careful to leave your sons well
instructed rather than rich,
for the hopes of the instructed are better
than the wealth of the ignorant."
---Epictetus
As a student in the education program here at UCDAVIS, I have
learned that my philosophy of education is changing day to day. As I
learn new things about education and the values of behavioral and
academia aspects, I can see the importance of being a teacher that is
flexible to the daily spontaneous adventures of life within a
classroom. However, education is close to the center of my heart. There
are many things education is not, but m ore that education is. It is an
encompassing reality that helps individuals press onward in life. I
believe education is about giving individuals the tools they need to
create their own thoughts and ideas on how things work and the way
things are. Education is much more than just simple academics.
Education is a when an individual learns and explores who you are and
what you want to become.
Education is a way that individuals communicate knowledge and
grow in insight, by developing their understanding of the world around
them. Each student comes into the classroom with her or his own
thoughts and feelings, strengths and weaknesses, goals, background, and
culture. There are many environments, circumstances, and situations in
the world that help shape the student as an individual. As a teacher, I
am part an intricate part of that world for each student that sets foot
into my classroom. I have a responsibility and privilege to see
their world without judgment but with compassion and understanding.
<> By
understanding that I too am an individual with strengths
and weaknesses, I am more able to care for my students and help inspire
where they are strong and help motivate where they are weak. As
teachers we can foster students learning by valuing them as individuals
encouraging them along path of life that you have the privilege of
being a part of their life. By believing that
every student has the potential to learn,
teaching has already been half fought. As a teacher, it is important to
see the potential within my students. By helping them achieve tools to
of hard work, critical thinking, and success, a teacher is one of the
most crucial figures in a student’s life. It is important as a teacher
to gain understanding of what styles of learning the student has.
Challenging students in academic areas will also transform the social,
emotional and even spiritual areas of one’s life. Teachers have the
unique ability to implement curriculum and activities that foster the
child’s imagination to a greater degree.
In addition, I have come to understand that teaching takes a
lot of energy, organization, patience, love, discipline, and optimism.
As a teacher I have come to understand the goods and bads of entering
into the educational profession, yet the goods outweigh the bads by
far. Teaching is not just fulfilling because you see the joy of your
students succeeding but the satisfaction of really nurturing a young
mind to have self-confidence and value his or her learning.
I believe that in order to be an effective and quality
teacher, one must possess certain qualities. Teachers are not only
called to teach but sometimes teachers must take on the role of
parents, guardian, counselor, cheerleader, and protector. I strongly
believe that if a teacher is unwilling to recognize the demands of the
teaching profession outside of the classroom walls and beyond the hours
of instruction, then true teaching cannot take place.
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