Canvas of Promise
My Philosophy of Education
When I look into the face of a student, I see endless opportunities and the potential for greatness. I see a mostly clean canvas with the beginning of something beautiful in the middle, something that is begging to be continued and expanded with poetry, color, shapes, and new stories. I see room for discovery, experiments, mistakes, celebrations, and successes. I see hints of a narrative that has already begun. One that I will have the honor of leaping into, playing an instrumental role that could help reshape the entire plot. When I gaze into the face of a student, I see the promise of new chapters on blank pages. I see the future.
Not every student is going to realize this truth about themselves, though. Each one will enter my classroom, some strolling in happily, others tiptoeing with caution. They will have a backpack slung over their shoulders brimming with individual experiences completely unique to who they are and where they have come from. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to bring about revelations of self-confidence, empowerment, and potential in my students. I want to both enlighten and encourage them to recognize their value not only in our classroom, but also in our society, our nation, and our world. Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” It is my belief that students must understand that their unique personalities and contributions are exciting and something to be celebrated. Within the walls of my classroom, my students will discover that they are uniquely intelligent and cherished, no matter who they are or where they come from.
I do not believe a teacher should remain constrained to his or her own classroom, however. I have serious intentions of pursuing professional relationships with my students outside of class, getting to know them as people and supporting them in their extra curricular activities. As family has always been an important component in my own life, I will actively extend this professional relationship to the families of my students by keeping open and communicative ties with them and encouraging their correspondence with me. I believe that modeling is a vital technique to teaching, so it is my hope that my involvement in the school and community will inspire my students to do the same in any way they can.
Although it should be considered every human being’s right, the devastating truth is that the world observes education as a privilege. It is rare and precious. I consider myself so blessed to live in a corner of the world where I have the freedom to pursue an unlimited amount of education. Academic enlightenment is powerful. It has the potential to not only harvest knowledge within a person, but also a sense of healthy well-being and future success. It is an essential building block to change and development in one’s life, and that is precisely why I do not take my role as a teacher lightly. It is a title that generates both strong determination and humility within me.
I am a gardener. I have the great responsibility of nurturing the seeds that I plant in the soil that is my classroom. I believe in watering these seeds with fervor, sprinkling them with kindness, and pruning them of self-doubt. I want to watch my students grow from tiny seeds into blooming trees of knowledge, compassion and integrity. I want them to thrive and bud in a healthy environment that I have provided for them through student-centered classes and exciting, engaging lessons that inspire freedom to think, play and learn.
At the end of the day, teaching is not about me – it is about those faces, the canvases of opportunity, and the endless possibilities. It is about my students, and giving them the future that they deserve.
My Philosophy of Education
When I look into the face of a student, I see endless opportunities and the potential for greatness. I see a mostly clean canvas with the beginning of something beautiful in the middle, something that is begging to be continued and expanded with poetry, color, shapes, and new stories. I see room for discovery, experiments, mistakes, celebrations, and successes. I see hints of a narrative that has already begun. One that I will have the honor of leaping into, playing an instrumental role that could help reshape the entire plot. When I gaze into the face of a student, I see the promise of new chapters on blank pages. I see the future.
Not every student is going to realize this truth about themselves, though. Each one will enter my classroom, some strolling in happily, others tiptoeing with caution. They will have a backpack slung over their shoulders brimming with individual experiences completely unique to who they are and where they have come from. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to bring about revelations of self-confidence, empowerment, and potential in my students. I want to both enlighten and encourage them to recognize their value not only in our classroom, but also in our society, our nation, and our world. Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” It is my belief that students must understand that their unique personalities and contributions are exciting and something to be celebrated. Within the walls of my classroom, my students will discover that they are uniquely intelligent and cherished, no matter who they are or where they come from.
I do not believe a teacher should remain constrained to his or her own classroom, however. I have serious intentions of pursuing professional relationships with my students outside of class, getting to know them as people and supporting them in their extra curricular activities. As family has always been an important component in my own life, I will actively extend this professional relationship to the families of my students by keeping open and communicative ties with them and encouraging their correspondence with me. I believe that modeling is a vital technique to teaching, so it is my hope that my involvement in the school and community will inspire my students to do the same in any way they can.
Although it should be considered every human being’s right, the devastating truth is that the world observes education as a privilege. It is rare and precious. I consider myself so blessed to live in a corner of the world where I have the freedom to pursue an unlimited amount of education. Academic enlightenment is powerful. It has the potential to not only harvest knowledge within a person, but also a sense of healthy well-being and future success. It is an essential building block to change and development in one’s life, and that is precisely why I do not take my role as a teacher lightly. It is a title that generates both strong determination and humility within me.
I am a gardener. I have the great responsibility of nurturing the seeds that I plant in the soil that is my classroom. I believe in watering these seeds with fervor, sprinkling them with kindness, and pruning them of self-doubt. I want to watch my students grow from tiny seeds into blooming trees of knowledge, compassion and integrity. I want them to thrive and bud in a healthy environment that I have provided for them through student-centered classes and exciting, engaging lessons that inspire freedom to think, play and learn.
At the end of the day, teaching is not about me – it is about those faces, the canvases of opportunity, and the endless possibilities. It is about my students, and giving them the future that they deserve.