The purpose of school is to prepare students to be fully participating members of the world.  There is an essential core of knowledge that they need to have to function in our society.  School should provide this core of knowledge.  At the same time, students need to know how to think creatively, and how to think things through, in order to find answers.  School should teach students how to think about things from many different angles, to see the whole picture, while teaching basic knowledge.  School should also socialize students, teaching them how to communicate effectively with others, as this is an essential part of functioning in our world.  School should be a place where students learn about their cultural heritage, so that they may understand how their society functions, and why things are they way they are.  Finally, schools should be a place of support for students, helping them grow.

    I believe that students will learn best in an environment where they are comfortable asking questions.  They will learn things better if they can see how what they are learning is relevant to the world and to their lives.  They will learn these lessons best by discovering things for themselves and by actively participating in their learning, not just by passively hearing or seeing it.  I believe that when students work together to discover something, they will help each other and learn more by trying to articulate what they are learning to one another.  I also believe that the methods of teaching need to be varied, so that students of different learning types will all be able to learn.

    As a teacher, I will be faced with many decisions about how to teach my students.  If students do no understand a concept or an idea, instead of just moving on, I will try to explain it in a different way, or use a different method for them to discover the concept themselves.  This way, students learn what they need to know.  I also believe that the methods that work for one student, or one group of students, may not work for another group of students.  I plan to fit my methods of teaching to the students that I am teaching.  Especially in history, students should learn about their own history, and how it relates to their lives now.  Depending on the group of students, this might mean placing more emphasis on different areas of the world, or different time periods.

    The primary purpose of being in school is for students to understand the concepts being taught, but there are other things that are just as important for them to learn in school.  As a teacher, I want to teach respect for others.  The best way I can do this is by example.  I believe that if I respect the students, and their views and ideas, they will be able to learn from this example.  I also believe that as a teacher, I should be an example of good manners, so that students may learn from that example.

   My main goal as a teacher is to be effective in teaching my students.  If I do not teach them anything, then there is no point in my being there.  As a teacher, I want to be fair and to treat all students equally.  I want to help them to grow as much as they can, and to reach their potential.  As a teacher, I plan to build an open relationship with my students based on respect, where they are not afraid to ask questions, or to question what I am teaching, because by questioning, they are thinking through an idea, and learning it.  I will be open and willing to listen students’ and parents’ concerns, and I will discuss solutions with them.  I will be a guide in their learning, as well as a resource to them.  Finally, I will try to be a role model for them.

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