Teaching is Like A Lighthouse

With summer fast approaching, I think it is safe to say that most people have relaxation, swimming, and just laying on the beach in our heads. I am one of those people, but this time, it was beneficial and helped me think of an educational metaphor: teaching is like a lighthouse. It is important that we guide students through the learning process, just as a lighthouse helps sailors, but we do not do the work for them. Teachers lead their students in the right direction towards the pathway to success. We still allow them to go their own ways and do their own things as well. Sometimes, the children's paths might be rough and tough, just like those of a sailor, but the end result, whether it be learning a new concept or reaching land, is worth it. Sometimes, students look for us when they are struggling, and again, this is similar to the lighthouse's job when a sailor is on a quest to find land.

This course taught me so much that I will be able to take with me when I finally become a teacher after dreaming about it for years. First of all, I never knew how many different types of schooling there was, and always thought it was simply your child either a) learns in a classroom or b) is homeschooled. To my surprise, there are a variety of schools, including unschooling like Summerhill, outdoor schools, like the Cloud Forest School and the outdoor kindergarten, and so many more. EDU100 had also taught me how important multicultural education is, and how necessary it is to make your class culturally-responsive. Both of these are things I will now focus on as a teacher in the future, but might not have before. It is crucial to understand your students, as for that is the only way you will be successful with them, and this can be done with understanding their backgrounds, families, etc. There are so many interesting and creative ways to learn about multicultural education in the classroom, and one that I think I might use in the future will be having a parent or someone come in and share about their culture (granted they are accurate). A third thing I will take with me is the importance of place-based and environmental education. Understanding the world around you will make you care for it, and it is necessary that students can do this. After all, like I have mentioned in a prior post, why would someone "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!" or "Go Green!" if they have no idea why they are doing it? The only way we are going to survive is if we are informed about the environment, connected to the world around us and that we embrace it.

Hopefully, the faces in my class in the future are similar to these someday :)

Aside from just doing the readings and assignments, I have learned a lot from the online discussions with my classmates as well. I have seen so many different opinions, some that match mine, and others that don't, but both sides have opened my eyes. Being able to "talk" about educational topics with others allowed me to think about things that I would have never thought about on my own. It was also interesting to hear people's stories, whether they be about their own experiences or someone else's that they have seen through observations, etc., and a lot of them really opened my eyes.

Well, for now it is farewell. It's wild to think that another crazy semester has come and gone, but is  exciting because it means I am one step closer in reaching my lifelong dream of becoming a teacher!