Type of Educator

Many of us go through life looking for something to help us along the way. This class has helped me figure out the type of educator I would like to be and helped me to see how people from history have influenced education today.

If I could have someone from the past as a mentor I would choose to have John Locke and Socrates. These two individuals set the standards for education, some of which we still use today. These two individuals in society today would be great influences and I feel would change the way we all approach early childhood education.

John Locke would be a great mentor because he saw early childhood education the same way I do. Locke believed that children learn through play. I feel the same way, young children cannot be forced to sit down and learn something. They must be able to use the energy they have to learn or do learn in a fun manner. I feel that having Locke as my mentor would help me to teach young children in a manner that is best for them.

I also feel that Socrates would be an excellent mentor. The Socratic Method is when teachers and students interact together in a question and answer session. This is the opposite of what we do in schools these days where the teacher stands in front of children and lectures, assigns reading and busy work and expects the students to learn. With the Socratic method the students are more engaged and their minds are open to the topic because they are free to brain storm, ask, and answer questions.

I would like to people in the future to look back at my time in the early education field and say "Wow, She really knew how to connect with children". I do not want to only be an educator for children; I want them to feel a connection to me. I feel that connecting with children is really the only way that we can truly bring them proper education. Anyone can stand in a classroom and work with children, but it is only the educators who know their students who can truly say they are educators. Without knowing who the children are, what they like, and how they learn we cannot properly apply the knowledge that we learning to their education. One thing I have learned in this class and hope to carry with me is that children need to feel safe, secure, and cared about if we expect them to be open to learning.

I would like to be remembered for my creative advances in finding new and exciting ways to connect with children. I think that instead of buying items at the store that are the current "hot" item we should use real life materials to educate children. Currently I am working in a preschool with children ages 3 to 5, this gives me an excellent opportunity to try these real life materials and open children's minds to new experiences. Recently I brought class a Mole Cricket that I found in my garage. The students all gathered around the jar examining the specimen. While standing their they all started coming up with questions