Sowing the Seeds of the Future Generation
Children are the hope of tomorrow, the tender shoots planted by their parents and watered and fed as they learn--at home and school, at work and play. Education is not simply a requirement of the nation; rather, at its core, are the children in its garden, the seeds of the future. The purpose of education is to give each child what he/she needs in order to fulfill their dreams and contribute positively to society.
Like various types of seeds and plants, children need varying, innovative, and creative degrees of teaching styles and learning experiences in order for them to blossom. Each child is diverse, bursting with the potential of unique strengths and weaknesses, talents and abilities, likes and dislikes. It is the job of the gardener-educator to prune the children and give them the environment they need in order to grow not only physically and intellectually, but socially, emotionally, morally, and culturally.
The educator accomplishes the task of pruning the children first by knowing each child. The marks of an exceptional educator are one who possesses compassion, patience, and humility coupled with confidence, innovativeness, and authority as well as an ever-increasing desire to learn alongside the children. The field of education is a calling, not solely a job. It is a lifelong commitment to serve humankind by educating the next generation. It is an act of pouring themselves into the lives of the children who desperately need them. Being a dedicated educator is perceived through adaptation of lessons using multi-modal and differentiated learning experiences, professional development, collaboration with other educators.
Mother Teresa once declared, “A life not lived for others is not a life.” The gardener-educator has the significant responsibility alongside the children’s guardians to educate the future generation. It is a task worth sacrificing for in order to touch positively the lives of each child entrusted into the educator's hands, children who otherwise might not have had the self-esteem and motivation to bud, prosper, and succeed. Education is centered around the children. Let’s teach the children to have passion for learning, to make a difference people's lives, and to live extraordinary lives in an ordinary world--one rain drop and ray of sunshine at a time!
Like various types of seeds and plants, children need varying, innovative, and creative degrees of teaching styles and learning experiences in order for them to blossom. Each child is diverse, bursting with the potential of unique strengths and weaknesses, talents and abilities, likes and dislikes. It is the job of the gardener-educator to prune the children and give them the environment they need in order to grow not only physically and intellectually, but socially, emotionally, morally, and culturally.
The educator accomplishes the task of pruning the children first by knowing each child. The marks of an exceptional educator are one who possesses compassion, patience, and humility coupled with confidence, innovativeness, and authority as well as an ever-increasing desire to learn alongside the children. The field of education is a calling, not solely a job. It is a lifelong commitment to serve humankind by educating the next generation. It is an act of pouring themselves into the lives of the children who desperately need them. Being a dedicated educator is perceived through adaptation of lessons using multi-modal and differentiated learning experiences, professional development, collaboration with other educators.
Mother Teresa once declared, “A life not lived for others is not a life.” The gardener-educator has the significant responsibility alongside the children’s guardians to educate the future generation. It is a task worth sacrificing for in order to touch positively the lives of each child entrusted into the educator's hands, children who otherwise might not have had the self-esteem and motivation to bud, prosper, and succeed. Education is centered around the children. Let’s teach the children to have passion for learning, to make a difference people's lives, and to live extraordinary lives in an ordinary world--one rain drop and ray of sunshine at a time!