my theory of education - by planetandrea

I believe there is no limit to learning.  As a lifelong learner, I am excited to utilize my own interpersonal skills soon in the classroom.  I also know that an attentive teacher can spot opportunities to assist individuals through additional instruction or positive feedback.  Students may not achieve full expectations simultaneously but at various paces and styles. 

Former First Lady of the United States and current Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told Americans, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  Actually, the real importance of this statement is in a lesser known part of her quote, which goes on to say, “I’m obviously not talking just about or even primarily about geographical villages any longer, but about the network of relationships and values that do connect us and binds us together.”  Schools today are given the arduous task of educating students who come from affluence to poverty, homelessness, and a variety of social ills.  The school and the classroom become the village binding students together through caring attitudes of conscientious teachers.  Regardless of socioeconomic or cultural factors, schools and classroom teachers can still influence learning and impact even the most discouraged student.  The ability to interact with diverse learners is a day-to-day challenge but can be accomplished by differentiating instruction for students within a classroom.  Some students may need additional instruction to internalize the concepts presented or may need additional strategies and encouragement.  However, through dedication and perseverance a teacher can gather her “village” of learners into a mutually cooperative community.  Most teachers should expect to be asked to work with large and small groups as teacher, co-teacher, facilitator, or mentor to my students.  Even if a student must return to a less than desirable home life at the close of the school day, I believe we must do our best to give that child a safe haven and nourish him physically and mentally in the hours we share with him or her.

Many students learn quickly and enjoy school assignments.  Yet, sometimes students come to us discouraged with diagnoses indicating much difficulty in past classroom accomplishments.  The job of the teacher is to believe that these students can also be reached through a variety of methods which may involve visual, auditory, and kinesthetic activities.  Thus, a supportive teacher who is willing to go the extra mile for her students before and after school, through parental contacts, and supplemental materials can support the learning for all of her students.  

Teachers that have good interpersonal skills and communicate well with adults can certainly do so with children.  I believe students come to school expecting lessons that are challenging and interactive.  The schoolroom of the past with lengthy teacher-centered lessons and lectures are simply not viable today.  The technologically adept students today need variety and stimulating lessons which require thought.  Teamwork and collaboration are excellent ways to motivate students.  Classrooms that are setup for cooperative learning logistically will enhance learning.  A system of rewards may further learning as students are always responsive to positive re-enforcement.  Avoiding negativity is crucial to help students develop positive self-esteem.  Motivation can best be achieved through a constantly interesting and challenging set of assignments. 

what you get depends on how high you climb

Women are like apples on trees.
The best ones are at the top of the tree.
Most men don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid
of falling and getting hurt.
Instead, they sometimes take apples from the ground that are not as
good, but easy.
The apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in
reality they are amazing.
They just have to wait for the right person to come along, the one who
is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.

7 life changing questions

for a while now i’ve been into finding personal growth.  i came across a “practical personal development” blog a while back and this is something that i’ve been trying to do lately to help me stay on course. the author says that every week you should ask yourself these 7 questions:

1. What will I try to improve on next week?

2. What was I most proud of this week?

3. What was my biggest accomplishment this week?

4. What have I done to get closer to my life goals this week?

5. What was hard for me this week, and why?

6. What was my biggest waste of time this week?

7. What did I do this week that made me ashamed?

 doing this really brings things into perspective about order of importance, goals, and putting a timeline with your need-to-do list.  it’s very good for self reflection!  sometimes you don’t see it until you write it down..

another great blog entry from this site is “how to become an outstanding person in 12 weeks” .  i never realized the little things i can do to make the biggest changes.  i now have motivation to do this so starting monday week 1 will be temperence, and i will be journaling my progress

forgiveness

in life, only one thing is certain…apart from death and taxes.  no matter how hard you try, no matter how good your intentions, you are going to make mistakes.  you’re going to hurt people, you’re going to get hurt, and if you ever want to recover, there’s really only one thing you can say.  forgive and forget.  that’s what they say.  it’s good advice, but it’s not very practical.  when someone hurts us, we want to hurt them back.  when someone wrongs us, we want to be right.  without forgiveness old scores are never settled, old wounds never heal and the most we can hope for is that one day we can be lucky enough to forget.

addiction

it’s shocking how many kinds of addiction exist.  it would be too easy if it was just drugs and booze and cigarettes.  i think the hardest part of kicking a habit is wanting to kick it.  we get addicted for a reason, right?  often, too often, things that start out as just a normal part of your life at some point cross the line turn to obsessive, compulsive, out of control.  it’s the high we’re chasing, the high that makes everything else fade away.

the thing about addiction is that it never ends well because eventually whatever it is that was getting us high stops feeling good and starts to hurt.  still they say you don’t kick the habit until you hit rock bottom, but how do you know when you’re there?  no matter how badly it is hurting us, sometimes letting it go hurts even worse.

change

change…we don’t like it, we fear it, but we can’t stop it from coming.  we either adapt to change, or we get left behind.  it hurts to grow, anybody that tells you it doesn’t, is lying.  but here’s the truth.  the more things change, the more they stay the same….and sometimes change is good.  sometimes change is everything.

relationships - the most important thing in life

While I was in class over the winter break, my teacher pointed directly to me, in the middle of class, and asks me….”Andrea, whats THE most important thing in life?” I answered, “love,” and he just started laughing. I asked him what he was expecting me to say……and he told me that relationships are the most important thing in life. He continued to discuss how relationships effect your entire life, from birth to death. His words haven’t left me since that day in class. I remind myself of what he said everyday, and it makes me look at my life and how my relationships effect me. I can break it down in groups…..intimate relationships, friendship relationships, and family relationships. The past year of my life, I’ve had to overcome many obstacles in my life, and its relationships that has helped me through it all.

I’ve also come to the realization that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes its really hard to believe it, but looking back, there just seems to be this path laid out for me. People come in and out of my life and manage to bring that “spark” back each time. I am so thankful for everyone that has influenced my life. The list ranges from my parents, to an innocent child I saw at the mall who was lost that I helped her find her way. I’m still trying to figure out my purpose, its extremely frustrating, I feel like I need to make this great difference in the world. Being a 27 year old girl from Illinois doesn’t seem like that might be possible, however, doing one small thing everyday for a stranger, maybe one day I might be that one thing in their life that brings back a spark for them.

I wonder how I ended up here, but I just keep going to see where life takes me next.

Rascal Flatts - When the Sand Runs Out

I spent the morning at an old friend’s grave
Flowers and Amazing Grace, he was a good man
He spent his whole life spinnin’ his wheels
Never knowin’ how the real thing feels
He never took a chance or took the time to dance
And I stood there thinking as I said goodbye
Today is the first day of the rest of my life

I’m gonna stop lookin’ back and start movin’ on
And learn how to face my fears
Love with all of my heart, make my mark
I wanna leave something here

Go out on a ledge, with out any net
That’s what I’m gonna be about
Yeah I wanna be runnin’
When the sand runs out

‘Cause people do it everyday
Promise themselves they’re gonna change
I’ve been there, but I’m changin’ from the inside out

That was then and this is now
I’m a new man, yeah, I’m a brand new man
And when they carve my stone they’ll write these words
“Here lies a man who lived life for all that its worth”