Favorite Quote and Messages of Thanks

When considering my time with children and my chances to learn pedagogical strategies, one quote really defines my teaching philosophies is by Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me and I forget; teach me and I remember; involve me and I learn.” In my classrooms, I truly believe in utilizing a learning through play philosophy in which intended play is used to help children discover new concepts and ideas. Children are not tape recorders that simply retain whatever information we tell them, nor are they robots who can be efficiently taught utilizing solely chalk-and-talk methods. Instead, children need to be integrated into classrooms in which they participate in predetermined activities that was lead by a teacher in order to reach a common goal. Through these experiences, children have the opportunity to construct knowledge and gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of material.

At the end of this semester, I really feel like I've have the opportunity to get to get to know many of my colleagues. In addition, the views and experiences of my colleagues have really allowed me to develop as not only a teacher but as an individual. I wish I had the ability to thank each and every member of my class that I interacted with, but we all have to finish our final bits of homework! So, I'll restrain myself to two.

ShaRina:

Thank you for sharing your views with all of us. In all of your blog posts, you've posted opinions very personal to you and used your experiences to justify what you mean (where others tended only to cite scholarly journals). It really gives us an insight into who you are as a person and a teacher, and it lets all of us learn from your experiences. In addition, whenever we have the opportunity to examine other cultures, you always have chosen a country that I never selected, so it's always fascinating to find out what you've discovered. Thank you so much!

Lynette:

This has been the second class that we've taken together, and I believe we are also taking the next course together. It's always an amazing opportunity to be able to work with a like minded professional and attempt to obtain a similar goal. In addition, your personal childhood web really shows us where oyu come from, and it sheds light and justifies all your opinions. I wish you the best in these upcoming classes where we strive to get our Master's (and eventually a Ph.D!).