Education is...
My beliefs about education and my future classroom revolve around the experimental education philosophy. I believe that all students are learners, just in their own way and that it is my job to find the best way for them to become the best learners they can. Working with the Columbus Initiative (Columbus, OH) and Buckeye Valley Reads (Ashley, OH) – both economically depressed regions – have made me realize the importance of community on the education of our children. Children are the responsibility of the whole community, not just that of their parents. I plan on including the community, particularly the parents of my students, in my classes activities. Kids are our future, and as George Wood, Principal of Federal Hocking High School and Author of "Time to Learn", says, "We need to be training our students not to be students but to be citizens of the world." When they graduate high school, some may go to college, but all will be our neighbors, and will be deciding the fate of our country right along beside us. Students who are not prepared to enter the world cannot become citizens of the world.
I believe there is more to an education in Language Arts than just learning sentence stucture and grammar. Of course, those skills are important, but I want to instill in my students a true love of the language we speak every day. How often do we stop and think how beautiful English can be? I want my students to think outside the box. I want them to be creative. I want them to exlpore the rich history of the English language, and feel empowered.
In my future classes, I plan to require students to keep a daily journal. I feel that it is not only important to write something every day, but that a journal is a great way to express feelings, to record ideas, and to practice writing skills. I will require that the students write essays as well as creative assignments. Literature will be a key element in all of my classes. By studying existing works, students will have a vast array of admirable authors to enjoy and perhaps model themselves after. I will also be sure that my students have been thoroughly prepared to meet the standards for Language Arts. Every lesson will in some way teach those skills required by the standards.
My main goal is to get the students excited about learning. I feel that if the students are truly excited and interested in their work, then it won't really feel like work at all. In fact, I think that condition sparks the most learning of any method. To that end, I will always try to incorporate the students' interests into my lessons. I am a very animated person, and I will communicate with the students in an energetic way to draw them in to the lesson. I am also a believer in group work. I will assign students into diverse groups so that through interaction with each other, the students will build on what they know and be more productive. Students will have the opportunity to be leaders as well as listeners. Speakers, as well as writers.
Basically, the standards set for 7-12 Language Arts Education in the state of Ohio have formed my ideas about a proper education in this field, but my students will shape how I accomplish teaching those standards. At the beginning of each year, I will begin with a survey, in which I will ask the students general information about themselves: contact info, year, extra-curricular activities, as well as questions that gauge their interests, such as "Who is your favorite author/work, and why," "What are you most interested in learning about this year," and "What are you most interested in outside of school?" I feel like these questions will help me create lessons around the students' interests so that the information is more relevant to their lives and interests and, they will be more productive and enthusiastic about learning.
