Who am I and what motivates
me?
I am a student at BYU-Idaho and I want to learn.
I was born in Portland, Oregon and lived there till the end of eighth grade. I moved to Pasco, Washington when I was just starting high school. I love to sing, dance, and act. In my high school, I was really active in the theatre and choral department, because I loved both. It really took a lot of my time, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Just being with my friends made it all worth while. What motivates me is when I gain something personal. Having goals helps me get through life, as well as it would for others. By having goals you having something to work on, you have a purpose. After I finish my goal, I make another goal. And it will go on and on. That's what motivates me.
How do I learn?
There are many ways for me to learn. One, I learn by doing. That is why I love to travel. Every time I travel, I always learn something new. When I went on a trip with my Dad and sister to the East Coast of the United States, I learned so much about the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers, Statue of Liberty, the Wright Brothers, Palmyra, and many more. Another way I can learn is when I do activities. For example, learning about the US government, my class and I made a congress and had debates over policies. I am also a visual learner, I have to "see" in order to understand lessons. Which is another reason why I love to travel, because I am visualizing the culture, the places, the history, etc. Lastly and most importantly, I learn from my past mistakes. It is important to learn from your mistakes and even other people's mistakes, because if we want to better ourselves and not be stuck in a hole you must learn from them. It is part of being human and that is why it is important to learn from history because we can learn from others' mistakes. Besides, "Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others."
― Brandon Mull, Fablehaven
― Brandon Mull, Fablehaven
How do I view those I teach?
I view those I teach as potenial learners. I cannot assume that the students I teach will learn by doing what I ask them to do. To learn is by doing your own way of learning, but the most common way to learn is by asking questions. If I let my students ask what they want to learn, they would be more interested in my lesson. Also, by learning different tools in teaching I would be able to try different methods to my students. Another way to view those I teach is by knowing who I teach. By knowing who I teach helps me know how to start, where to go, and how I can help them. This would help me view the process of those I teach and see how I can help them along the way.
What is my work as learner and teacher?
My work as a learner and a teacher is to never stop learning. If you want to become a teacher, you have to know that students will teach you. Instead of it being just you who teaching the students it can also be student teaching teacher. Everyday you have to analyze the class in order to help the students. By analyzing, you learn what went well and what did not. Another work as a learner is to listen to the students opinions. By listening to their opinions, you can learn more about your students and how they think. It is not our job to change our students way of thinking, but to help them develop it. That is our work as a learner and a teacher.
What is worth teaching?
First, teaching those who want to learn are worth teaching. Second, teaching those how to think for themselves are worth teaching. Lastly, teaching those the ethics of learning are worth teaching. By doing this, your students will be able to use their skills of learning and gain so much more knowledge in their life. By "Wanting to Learn", you want to live. By "Thinking for Yourself", you can be independent and not be dependent on others. And by "The Ethics of Learning", you will be able to gain more knowledge from others and be humble when it comes from being taught from others.
Upon what foundation are U.S.
public schools
built?
I feel as if the U.S. public school system is treating students as if they're products of a factory. We are now used to the K-12 system and we don't have too many private schools anymore. Religion is not being taught in public schools and teachers try to manipulate the students to think like them and not let the students learn to think for themselves. Many teachers in public schools have lost their foundation for teaching, they don't change their methods and stay the way they are. Now I'm not saying ALL teachers are that way. I have had teachers who have changed their teaching methods and experimented with us, but it was uncommon. It is a problem that students can't think for themselves because once they're out of the public school system and join the world they struggle to think because they always looked to the teacher for the answers. This is a problem that I see, it may not be what everyone else thinks but it is the truth.
What is
the role of school in society?
The role of school in our society is so important to us. The United States made the public schools because they wanted the immigrants to be able to think and build for themselves. The Founding Fathers wanted to make sure that everyone had a mind for themselves and not just do what others tell them to do. It was also critical that we made inventions, that was how the United States had such a strong economy. Some American Heroes are Thomas Edison, The Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, etc. They are considered heroes because of their inventions which helped America to grow. That is why the United States are pushing children to go to school because they are the future for the nation and they can help it grow.
