It has been stated that the mere studying of the mind with knowledge of facts is not education. The mind must not only possess a knowledge of the truth but the soul must revere it, cherish it, and love it as a priceless gem; and this human life must be guided and shaped by it in order to fulfill its destiny. For this reason, I believe the essence of education is the opportunity to grow by receiving knowledge and skills that allow us to reason, using the knowledge and skills along with intuition and choice, bring about growth which completes the continual cycle of learning.
Each person is a different and unique individual with different talents, abilities, desires and opportunities. It is the teacher’s responsibility to help instill the feelings of self-worth, confidence and the ability of students to do their best. I feel that it is as important for someone wanting to be a ditch digger to be the best ditch digger they can be as it is for someone wanting to be a doctor to be the best doctor they can be. It’s important that our brains are a storehouse of a variety of information, being able to recall it for a given need. If a student doesn’t know an answer, they should be aware of how to find the answer to their question.
It is my philosophy that the responsibility of the teacher is not only in the classroom, but being interested in what the student is involved in outside the classroom. When numbers allow, the teacher should attend events that are important to the students, i.e. the football game, the music recital, the track meet, the school play, the debate club, or the dance recital.