Who am I as an Educator?

My educational philosophy seems to change every year (in a good way). I can take my beliefs as a freshman and add onto them as I learn more and more about educating young children. Above all, I think that teachers should be passionate about teaching the children of our future. Teachers should know that students can definitely tell when a teacher is passionate about his or her job. I feel that this passion and drive will rub off on students and hopefully help them to want to learn more about what they themselves are passionate about. Inquiry-based learning is also an important aspect of any classroom from kindergarten all the way to twelfth grade (and beyond!). Students should have the chance to ask questions, collaborate, and reflect on their thoughts. I believe that talking about and asking questions about any subject will further a student's education. I'm not saying that direct instruction is totally out of the picture, but I definitely think that inquiry-based learning will help students in their futures. They will become confident and unafraid to answer questions, and ready to really think about and analyze what others are saying.

The role of technology in the classroom should continue to become a priority to teachers. Kids are exposed to lots and lots of technology in their everyday lives and I feel that teachers should use this as an advantage. Finding ways to use technology to teach will not only be rewarding, but also interesting and fun. I think there are two problems with the using of technology in the classroom: teachers and funding. Some teachers want nothing to do with using technology when they teach. Some don't understand how much of a learning opportunity it is. Funding for technology is also a problem. It would be ideal to have a class set of computers (like a laptop cart) or other technology such as iPods but more often then not, schools can't afford it. This might also be the challenge and important issue as an educator. If there isn't any technology resources available to you as a teacher, it will obviously make it a little more difficult to teach using technology. School districts need to realize how important and useful teaching with technology can be, therefore they should want to fund the resources.