Questions? My Philosophy of Education Your place is where the worlds greatest need meets your greatest love.

When I was in elementary school, I was the girl who, when asked if there were any questions, always responded with a gripe-filled, Why do we have to do this? It wasnt that I didnt enjoy school I just didnt understand the purpose of doing worksheets. My why mentality never changed, which is why I declared a psychology major in college. I was convinced that my love of questioning was going to allow me to help people. Three months into the major, I started to realize that the worlds greatest need was not for my questions to be answered. Instead, I needed to use my love of curiosity to help others discover their place. The answers to my questions began with a major in education.

I believe that students should understand not just how to do a task, but why they are doing it. I believe that true knowledge is found in understanding the question of why. In the beginning of my student teaching, I would give an assignment and say, The purpose of this assignment is. However, it was not long before my students and I became unsatisfied with that explanation. I realized that my justification was insufficient because I didnt want my students to just accept what I said. I wanted them to search for a greater understanding. My philosophy came to life when I had a student parrot my own words of Why did I have to do the science homework last night? I smiled and tenaciously responded, You tell me. His reflective curiosity was evidenced when, after science that day, he blurted out, Now I understand why we had to do that homework.

I believe in students being curious. My hope is that I can encourage my students to pursue curiosity with passion and find their place between the world's greatest need and their greatest love.