Death is coming

The closer death creeps up upon me the less I am able to understand the reasons for life or living.

Yes I have experienced a close family member dying and unlike television it takes decades to handle such a thing. To think I am going to put my family through such a thing when I finally leave is more horrific to me than the thought of death itself.

My life was and is still a learning experience but when all said and done what am I to do with all this accumulated learning over my lifetime if I just die. There is no logic or reason to this.

Long ago I became aware that the God story that is sold to the majority is just a nice story to give mankind with a message of a basic layout of how nice life could be if everyone followed these ideas. Not many in life do and if one thinks about it the good and evil structures actually depend on each other. The good that can be experienced in life is only understood as good when there is it's opposite to compare it to. This is not rocket science only common sense in reality. I am not saying we need to experience bad but understanding in it is needed to appreciate the great things many of us can have in our lives. From birth to death there are many ways mankind helps his fellow man. How many ways can you help?


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Keys to a Successful Philosophy of Education Statement

By Chris Cottingham


Learn about the importance of using a philosophy of education statement for teaching positions. If you are a teacher looking for a new job, employers will want to see your philosophy of education statement, sometimes also called an education philosophy statement. It is an important part of your teaching portfolio and allows you to communicate your teaching style, objectives, and how your teaching concepts are applied in the classroom setting. The majority of teaching applicants are asked to articulate their teaching philosophy using a philosophy of education statement.

Many teaching applicants use their philosophy of education statement to distinguish themselves from their competition. The statement should cover various issues but needs to be very clear and concise since it should not be longer than two pages. It should have a straightforward and narrative style. Creative teachers sometimes use a poetic style while others might use a question and answer format.

The statement should include the following:

* Teaching perception. In this section, explain your teaching process, what teaching and education means to you, and how you are able to facilitate this process as a teacher. Factors such as student motivation, the learning process, challenging students academically, and supporting their ability to learn need to be addressed.

* Learning perception. In this section, clearly explain what learning means to you and the processes involved. You can draw comparisons to other educational philosophies or relate your view on how students learn based on your past experience as an educator.

* Teaching objectives. You need to explain your teaching objectives for your students and present the types of skills or abilities you expect your students to obtain. You also need to explain the concept and rationale behind these objectives and how you will keep adjusting them to meet the ever-changing needs of your students.

* Plan of execution. The most important section of your statement is explaining the various ways in which you will implement your philosophy to help your students achieve their educational goals.

When writing your philosophy of education statement, use the present tense and active voice, which are easiest to read and understand. Include specific examples of your philosophy of teaching so that your readers can visualize how you will interact with students even if they have not visited an actual class that you have taught. Your philosophy of education should be well thought out. Make sure that you are writing about your personal experiences and beliefs. If you just submit a standardized statement, it will be noticed by the reader and fail to make much of an impact.




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