Pursuing Passions

In terms of education, one of my major passions is children’s literature. It is all too often that I have found myself in the children’s section of a bookstore or library with hours passing. It is also a rare occasion that I can get off Amazon with only textbooks in my cart- if there aren’t already a couple of children’s books in there from the last time searching- some mysteriously end up there before I hit “Continue to Checkout.” I passionately believe that the key to a successful Language Arts curriculum is developing a love of reading within students. In order to truly foster this love, students need to be surrounded by books and be exposed to everything a book can provide- adventures to times and places, emotions, knowledge about a specific topic, etc. 

I was introduced to an incredibly passionate teacher last semester and am currently student teaching in her classroom. The love of reading and books that she possesses is exponentially expanded to each of her students. They are constantly reading, talking, and thinking about books. They are each SO excited that leading book discussions is truly about finding the rhythm of the group and keeping them in their seats (literally- often they cannot control themselves because they are so excited to tell the group something from the book).

The students are incredible critical thinkers and are constantly making connections to their own lives, other books they’ve read, and the world around them. It is so inspiring and exciting to watch.  I am so thankful to have a chance to be a part of it and learn from an incredible teacher who has fostered such an amazing environment of passionate learners!

Recently, I have also found that character education is something that I am really passionate about, as well. I truly believe that school is not only a place for students’ to find knowledge in the form of content, but that it is also a place to foster and develop important traits as human beings.

The classroom I am currently student teaching in is part of an incredible program in which character education is woven throughout the curriculum from kindergarten through sixth grade. The students in my classroom are incredibly empathetic, caring, and conscientious human beings. They are constantly thinking about and talking about how they can be better citizens and serve the community. While community service is a piece, it is also a philosophy of being a respectful, kind, and mindful person. How do we want to act everyday and relate to the people around us? I think this is something that all of us as human beings, no matter what age or walk of life, should truly consider. In doing so, our world has potential to become a very different place.