Teaching in a school setting is only a
small part of being an educator. “Educator” is not simply a job
that pays the bills, but a way of life, a means by which one
expresses herself in the world – an underlying thread that is
ever-present in her interactions with others and self. A personal
quality that inspires me to become a teacher is my insatiable
curiosity. I see opportunities to learn and grow from each moment
and encounter in my life. Often these opportunities come from my day
to day experiences but many are from my mistakes and failures. By
framing my life experiences as learning opportunities and a perpetual
evolution toward becoming a more compassionate, whole, aware person,
I have learned that it is important to take healthy risks, and that
failure is okay. Indeed, I believe that by embracing healthful risks
and failures I have learned my emotional, moral, and physical limits
and have gained confidence through learning my strengths and
embracing/being aware of aspects of myself that are weaker.
Based on this outlook, as an educator
one of my goals is to ensure that, along with grasping academic
foundations and concepts, students also have equal opportunities to
interact with and explore their worlds in various and alternative
ways. Through social and emotional education, creative pursuits like
art, poetry, and music, physical/health education, exposure to other
cultures/ways of life, and outdoor education, students able to make
connections across different realms of their lives and apply this
knowledge toward a greater (self-)awareness and confidence in their
pursuits and expressions.
John Lennon observed, “The more I
see, the less I know is for sure.” I believe his observation
refers to the idea that the more experiences one is exposed to, the
less likely we are to become stuck in specific thought and
behavioural patterns. I can personally attest to this through my
experiences traveling to different countries and my diversified
formal and informal education over the years. By cultivating a sense
of curiosity and open-mindedness, we start to see that everything is
relative and meaningful, and that asking mindful questions about our
inner and outer world is a valuable practice that should be
encouraged, in and out of the classroom. Thus, through the caring
cultivation of all aspects and skills of the person with gentle
guidance from trained and committed educators, students will have an
increased opportunity to lay a foundation to develop into balanced,
successful, happy adults.
