STATEMENT
What do I bring to teaching? Enthusiasm, improvisational ability, some fairly strong general knowledge, and a belief that every child is brilliant in some area of life; I believe it is my mission to find and nurture this brilliance. I also bring my belief that it is my job, not to teach a child all that I know, but rather to facilitate his or her ability to educate him or herself. �Feed a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime.� This, translated to Dwanist teaching philosophy, says �Teach a child some fact, and he or she can win at Trivial Pursuit. Help him or her figure out how to discover facts, and help him or her learn to develop his or her own concepts, and he or she will win at life.� I believe in arts integration into the academic curriculum, including � actually, especially � special education. I believe in interactive learning and student-centered projects. I believe in technology and multimedia in the classroom. I believe in holding children accountable for their behavior, and holding teachers accountable likewise. I believe that respect engenders respect, and that honesty and consistency form the basis of a good teacher-student relationship. I believe in creativity in all areas.
I have worked for many years in fields of no personal interest to me. I feel ready to take on the challenges of a field in which I see children, the lifeblood of our world, maturing and developing the skills and creative energy that are necessary to truly change that world for the better.