II. Professional Statement

I remember a moment very much like this one. Nearing the end of my journey through the college of education, my supervising professor had tasked me with penning a professional statement or a philosophy of education. I had no idea what I was doing. Four years of studying teaching methods, digging through canonized literature, and numerous hours of classroom observations were under my belt, and yet I felt grossly unprepared to outline myself as a professional, to put down on paper what I believed about education.

In 2008 when I drafted my first philosophy of education, I was venturing into the world of elementary education. I clearly remember reflecting on my thirteen years as a student in public education and how many teachers had shaped my future. Every single one of them had an impact. The good. The bad. And the ones I'd rather forget. From each, I learned what to do as well as what not to do as an educator. And those were the things I wrote about in my first philosophy of education.

However, it is my belief that a philosophy, must like the teacher, should always be evolving, changing, expanding to meet the needs of one's current students. I believe in trust among students and the teacher, for without trust, it is difficult to truly be challenged and dig deep. I believe in always being a learner, no matter one's age. I believe in honesty, for honesty is the foundation of trust and understanding.

While the basics of my philosophy of education remain, it has evolved since moving from the language arts classroom to the field of gifted. Being tasked with challenging some of the brightest of minds in my school is a daunting task, and I often feel as though I am struggling to stay afloat. However, I take solace in the fact that I have the honor, the privilege to help shape the minds of our future leaders and innovators, the individuals who will solve our seemingly insurmountable problems, the kids who will help make history.

As a gifted teacher, I am not simply teaching to the test and covering standards. I am charging my students to persevere through failures, to think differently, to pursue a passion, and learn all the things. I am an advocate for my students, for their successes and for their failures. Because really, my successes and my failures have shaped me as a student, a parent, and as a teacher. They have helped shape my philosophy of education, as I suspect they will continue to do so. And as they do, so shall my philosophy of education continue to evolve.

Through this Graduate Program, I have gained the theory and pedagogy needed to identify and serve gifted children and the knowledge and skills required to develop and provide the most current instructional methods and services.

As a graduate of this program, I have learned how to be an advocate for gifted students and have gained the tools to identify potential and address specific needs of students that are either talented or gifted. I have also learned how to create gifted programs based on the needs of my school district and learned how to work with administrations, school boards and parents. This program has provided me the coursework in gifted education required for the gifted education (K-12) endorsement from the Alabama Department of Education. 

Education is about understanding. I am not merely speaking knowledge related to a specific discipline, but an understanding of the variation of our student’s social, emotional, educational, and economic backgrounds which demand individualized consideration. Those of us involved in education must understand the strategies, practices, tools, and resources available to us, and possess an understanding that we are not simply providers of information; rather we are providers of experience.  We are facilitators.

It is the educator’s responsibility to continuously learn and be educated as well. We must seek out new and innovative ideas found in the pages of texts and journals. We should seek out professional development opportunities and connect with others in the profession. We must advocate for our students and their best interests. We must come to know who we are as members of the educational community. Most importantly, we need to expose our students to the global community, which is quite larger than the neighborhoods, the towns, or even the states where our students live. The development of higher order thinking skills, problem solving techniques, creativity, and autonomous learning should serve as the foundation for many of the lessons developed by educators, for they are the foundation of the characteristics which drive our high ability students. It will take time to instill these traits in our students. One thing is for certain; we need to start now. 

Recently I read a metaphor about teaching by Jordan Catapano that resonated.  Teachers and students are tinder and flint. Apart, tinder and flint don’t do much. But strike them together and you’ve got sparks. Put those sparks next to a flammable material and fire roars to life." Teaching is a partnership between teacher and student. In the classroom it takes both working together like the tinder and flint to make the fire roar. 

My job is to get that spark going so students are excited and engaged in their learning. The flammable material needed for the fire to roar is interesting, relevant, and challenging lessons. In order for students to succeed, teachers should be passionate in their teaching. When students see this passion, they cannot help but get excited about the learning and opportunities in front of them.