Philosophy of Education Our society is evolving at a rapid rate.

We are bombarded with new and exciting advances in technology, which have changed the world around us in a major way. With these new and exciting changes, it is important that we push for the evolution of education. No matter if they are going on to college or a career after completing their schooling; our students are going to be faced with the challenge of surviving and succeeding in this ever changing society. It is crucial that, as educators, we do all that we can to prepare our students for this. I believe that educating our students in the same way that we were educated is a gigantic mistake. We cannot prepare them for the world as it existed years ago; we need them to be able to function in the world of tomorrow. Shoving content down students throats is not only unproductive, but cripples them. We need to provide a student-driven education that promotes acquisition of skills crucial to thriving in our society. It is critical to help students gain 21st century skill such as: collaboration, cooperation, leadership, responsibility, technological literacy, creativity, and critical thinking. As a scientist, I also see the importance of the ability to read, write, interpret data, and ask and investigate intriguing questions. Promoting a student-led education is difficult. We need to provide adequate freedom, but at the same time provide structure. Students desire freedom, but often dont know what to do with it. This is why it is crucial to scaffold their learning. A good mixture of student exploration must be met with significant explanation and elaboration. Lecture must never be our one and only source of instruction, but neither must open inquiry. I want students to create their own knowledge, where they are developing their own learning while developing a project or solving a real world problem. These methods allow for student creativity and critical thinking while learning is occurring in the back ground. It is important to me that students understand that science isnt performed using a recipe or by memorizing content. Science is a discipline that is entirely based upon asking and investigating questions. For this reason, I want students to ask and attempt to answer real world problems. While they are investigating these problems, they will fail. I want them to know that this is okay. In science, failure is great; this is where the most learning occurs. However, it is important that they feel safe and secure with this failure. I want students to know that science is all about failure and the solutions that occur as a result to our responses to this failure. In order to promote engagement in the content, I believe it is critical to allow students have a say in their learning. Students should have some choice in their education. This could come in the form of choosing the medium for the expression of their learning, how they are formatively and summative assessed, the projects they complete, the problem that they would like to explore and solve, or the topic that they study. This is their education, it is important that they can mold it to suit themselves. Even more important than science, is the relationships that we develop with our students. They will forget most of what we teach them, but what they wont forget is the relationship that they develop with us. Students want and need to feel cared for, listened to, trusted, and

intelligent. It is important to always put our students ahead of anything else. I desire and strive to positively influence my students and provide them with anything that they will need to become a success. As I grow as an educator, it will be important for me to be flexible. With society, education will continue to change. I strive to and look forward to constantly working towards providing the education that our students need. I will do whatever to constantly improve as an educator. Whether this is through professional development, continued education, online searches or professional conferences, I strive to be the best, and I will accept nothing less. I expect this from my students and myself. In my opinion, there is no better or more critical career than education. I embrace the challenge that it presents and cannot wait to begin my career as an educator.