President Reagan said, “I know on my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph and there is purpose and worth to each and every life”. As a history teacher I know that man is not always “good” but the dark periods are followed by enlightenment for the most part, and I’m not sure how you keep on getting up every day if you do not believe that at the core, humanity will be humane. I firmly believe that each person is equally as valuable as the next. Once you think you are somehow more worthy than another you lose all objectivity and compassion. I value each of my students equally, which is why I detest grades because students often view their grade as my evaluation of them as a person, when it is just one small part of who they are and is in no way my judgment about them as a person.

I also believe that travelling to other places enhances your life and provides you with invaluable perspective. It has reinforced my view in the universality of the human condition. We all want a good education for our children, we all value family, we all have music. President Kennedy said,“ Let us not be blind to our differences, but let us also direct attention to our common interests and the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity…We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal”.

Interestingly, the more I travel, the more I believe in American ideals, especially when we fall short of them.  We must take advantage of the opportunities we have to be engaged in civic activities to shape our nation.

Although I am a creative teacher and my classroom is energetic and dynamic, I’m not terribly original and while I appreciate good writing, I find it difficult. I tend to be very straight forward, and while I feel passionately about many things, such as political causes, societal issues, family and friends, I am not good at expressing it. So, I will use words and ideas of others to explain what I believe.

Like Albus Dumbledore, I believe that love is the key to everything. It is the key to a child’s well-being and security and therefore it is the key every adult’s personality. Knowing you are loved unconditionally provides a foundation, a bedrock a touchstone. Similarly, giving unconditional love fulfills your life.

 Like Obie Wan Kenobi I believe in a Force that binds us and surrounds us. What we do, what we build, what we destroy, how we treat our planet and each other- it’s all connected in some way, and can either bring about positive or negative consequences for us as individuals or for us collectively as human beings on this planet.