Pamela Wrede
Philosophy Statement
Expanding Lives: My Teaching Philosophy
Life progresses in front of our own eyes, sometimes without us noticing. The days go by, the nights grow dark and then it is morning. In the course of each passing day, countless opportunities arise, some of which we take on while others we ignore. Teaching and learning are two of these chances, two I feel upon which we should never pass. In order to ensure I am teaching and learning at nearly every prospect, I have always lived my life as if it is a coloring book. When I was a child, I scribbled on every page, leaving messy streaks of crayon and never staying in the lines. Time went by with elementary school, and I learned the importance of following rules and staying in the lines. As I grew older and entered high school, I decided it was time to strengthen the boundaries, solidifying each picture with clarity and neatness. But here I am, in college and at the completion of my Junior Professional Experience—junior student teaching. How can my coloring book already be complete? It is not. Now it is time for me to go beyond the restraints, to color the world outside of each picture. By teaching and learning at every possibility, I will enrich not only my coloring book, but the pages of others as well.
Teaching is not a simple task and it is not trouble-free, but I feel it is the most rewarding of all of life’s opportunities. I see teaching as a way of helping an individual expand. That expansion is not limited to knowledge, however. I want to expand a student’s mind, personality, understanding, worldview, and personal drive as well. If I help a student learn to read, that is teaching. If I assist a child in tying his shoe, that is teaching. If I practice with my brother while he works on his touchdown throw, that is teaching. If I make someone a better person, that is teaching in its most immaculate form. By expanding an individual’s ability to have an open mind and to accept people and their differences, I have made them a nobler person. If a student sits in my class all year with the literature and grammar going in one ear and out the other, but she still leaves with a better understanding of herself and a broadened scope of the world around her, I have succeeded in expanding her to some extent. Expanding another is the first step in helping that individual design the pages in his or her coloring book.
Teaching and learning go hand in hand. In order for my professors, parents, mentors, and friends to teach me, I have to exhibit a willingness to learn. This eagerness stems from the personal realization that not only do I not know everything about myself, but that I have a lot to gain from the world around me as well. Learning requires patience, attentiveness, and the desire to expand oneself—characteristics I hold dear. I also have an open mind and an open heart, knowing that by taking in something new everyday, I am further decorating my coloring book. In my teaching, I want to share this passion to learn, or to expand one’s self, with my students. I want my students to hunger for learning and to strive to garnish their coloring book pages both inside and outside of the lines. Teaching and learning start with the individual, but they do not stop there. These two ongoing processes never stop as long as one realizes his or her coloring book could never be full. Keep teaching, keep learning, and the world will continue to expand into a more colorful and eclectic place.
Time does pass, but as it goes by, I am expanding myself as well as others. Life is not taken for granted in the eyes of a teacher. Likewise, it is not wasted away in the mind of a learner. The coloring books of these individuals are never complete. They are constantly expanded through a mutual process of teaching and learning. By utilizing every opportunity to teach and be taught, I will enrich the colors of my life, not only furthering my knowledge, but also my personal outlook. People are different; therefore, the pages of their coloring books are unique as well. By working together, teachers and learners add to the complexity and individuality of their minds, lives, and personalities. Mark Twain once said, “To be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler—and less trouble.” With the expanding of coloring books, I am making myself a better person, but making those I teach better people is the noblest deed of all.