I believe the purpose of education is to foster and facilitate the growth and development of the future generations. The similarity that all students share is that none of them, not a single one, are incapable of fulfilling a valuable future. However, that is where the similarities seem to end. Every individual within the classroom is unique in their own way. Some may thrive with the traditional style of education that has been practiced for generations. Others may view school as a waste of time or not for them. The worst and most inaccurate view that a student could ever have is that their performance in the classroom dictates their value as a human being. I strongly believe that there is a path to success for every person on this Earth. Each path and each destination will look different, but the path is still there. Too many students struggle with self-worth due to their performance in the classroom. It is not the job of education to evaluate the potential of each student, but rather to maximize those potentials. Too often students are left behind due to meaningless grade point averages or test scores. The purpose of every individual is different, and I believe my job as a teacher is to help students find these purposes and live fulfilled lives because of them.
As previously mentioned, I view it to be my responsibility as a teacher to help students find and fulfill their potential and purpose. With that being said, I will absolutely value effort in my classroom. While I stated above that students are too often marginalized due to their test scores and grades, I do not believe that is at all an excuse for lack of effort. As a teacher, I would desire respect from my students. I plan to give my all to help them succeed and I would hope they could help me help them. This help would be in the form of respecting my due dates and assignments, obeying my classroom behavioral expectations, and being willing to try their best. As a teacher I want to encourage rabbit holes that get students passionate about my class. I understand that not everyone will share my same love for science, but I do strongly believe that there is something in science for everyone. As a teacher, I want to help my students find these passions and interests. I also want to set an example and be a role model for my classroom. I will be a hard worker and demonstrate discipline so that I'm justified when I request similar behavior from my students.
This brings me to the role of students within the classroom. While I already mentioned much of what I believe students should be expected to do, I have not dove into specific examples in order to fully illustrate my philosophy. As a teacher, I will make sure to encourage my students to ask questions often and without fear of judgement. As a student myself, I often find myself too afraid to ask certain questions for fear of what it may make me sound like. I want my classroom to be interactive and energetic by nature. The only way to accomplish this is to encourage my students to really search their minds for questions and routes of thinking that they may have never considered. From here, it is the role of my students to respect my vision for the class and do what they can to make it a reality. Furthermore, I will reiterate the fact that effort will be my primary gauge for how well I am doing as a teacher. If I can inspire my students to work hard and give their best while leading by example, I'm confident that the members of my classroom will go on to bigger and better things throughout the course of their lives. Finally, I would ask the students of my classroom to simply dream with me. Too many students limit themselves due to the constant reminders of their place, rank, or "path" within the education system. This world is too big with too many opportunities for every student to follow the same path. My classroom will be an environment focused on growth, limitless potential, curiosity, and effort.
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