Education is how we understand our world. Education should help you understand the past, present, and future. It builds us up and matures us. Education is more than remembering and regurgitating knowledge. The purpose of education is to help you develop your purpose in life and prepare you to answer the question of why you are here. I believe God has given every person a gift and purpose. We should seek to understand His will for our lives by learning about Him and what he wants from us. This goal can be met by learning the basics/essentials and eventually deconstructing more abstract concepts. I chose education because I believe God has called me to this profession to use my gifts and create better image-bearers. My love for history started with the Bible. History is important because we learn about other cultures and that can make us more empathic. History teaches us our mistakes so that we won’t repeat them. I believe history can help students develop their purpose by teaching them critical thinking and analytical skills. These skills will help a student interpret their lives and how they can help humanity based off what they learned from the past. History also connects them to their creator because the Bible, a historic book, teaches about Him. Each learner should learn by their cognitive stage and not just their age. I will know if learning has taken place when the student can teach the concept to another.
My role as a teacher will involve my philosophy of education. Learning the student's interests and creating lesson plans with the student’s interest in mind will help me enact my philosophy of education. Also giving students the freedom to choose different ways for assessment will help them cultivate their passion, pushing them further to their purpose. I will set a standard in my classroom that emphasizes respect and manners. I will be careful to be a role model. I know firsthand how it feels to be bullied and outcasted. I will be fair and respectful to all my students. I will be patient and understanding to all my students. I will be a mandated reporter and always be attentive to any marks, bumps, and bruises, or any other signs of abuse. As a Christian, I will be patient and compassionate with my students. I believe my Savior had these attributes when he taught his students. I will also uphold Christian values in my class. I will promote the golden rule that was given by my savior “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I will create a safe space for students to learn. I believe that a student would find it very difficult to learn if external forces are permeating their thoughts. A student must have a clear mind to receive new information. I will try to offer constructive criticism when grading their work. I will praise work/behavior that meets the standards and discipline work/behavior that does not. I will carefully assess my student’s progress or lack thereof from the beginning of class to the end. I will be proactive and watchful of their grades. I will foster a healthy relationship with parents and I will be open to consistent communication. I will learn my student's interests and seek to use them in my lessons. I will use multiple learning styles when teaching so that I may reach all my students. I will attend seminars, take courses, learn new methods, learn new techniques for teaching, incorporate new technologies, and fellowship with other teachers in order to further my development as a teacher. I will offer any help to my students and look after them like a shepherd looks after his sheep.
The role of a student will involve my philosophy of education. Each student and parent will sign a list of expectations before the beginning of class. I want my future students to accomplish their goals and not just my own. I want them to be lifelong students and lovers of knowledge. I want them to be confident in their skills and challenge themselves in the things that may come easier to them. I want them to question and have an open mind about everything. I want them to know that they will never know everything about everything. That is why they must be lifelong learners. I will encourage students to think twice and speak once. I believe that the most valuable skills are listening and thinking. I can help them develop these skills by having them solve critical thinking problems and by reminding them to listen to instructions. I believe practical knowledge is important and so is abstract knowledge. It is my job to be knowledgeable about my content and creative in my approach to learning. I will give my students the best and seek out opportunities to grow as well.