"In the schoolhouse..."

I couldn't really tell you what it was that made me want to teach in the first place. I have wanted to teach for as long as I can remember, almost like a natural compulsion towards education. I am not, however, naive enough to tell you that I have not been influenced by a number of great teachers.

My love of learning began early on. I was raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas and was lucky enough to be enrolled in a Catholic elementary school there. In this setting my teachers focused on developing not only our minds, but also our characters and morals. I have never encountered a group of educators who more fully embody the quote by Henry Golden, "In the schoolhouse, we have the heart of the whole society." In forming my own ideas and philosophy about education I have struggled with some ideas; however, the idea of educating the whole child has remained at the forefront of my mind, regardless of how my other ideas may change.

The next huge influence on my decision to teach was Mr. Rousey, my high school Geometry teacher. It was Mr. Rousey who showed me that learning does not necessarily have to take place in a formal environment. I'm not exactly sure how he did it, but Mr. Rousey could get us to learn things (whether we wanted to or not) without any of us even realizing it. I left his class with a thorough understanding of Geometry, yet his teaching methods were so sly that, to this day, I don't have a clue what they were.

The most recent influence on my ideas about education is Dr. Tebbetts. One very important thing I have learned from Dr. Tebbetts is that how you say something to your students is just as important as what you say to them. His enthusiasm for his subject area shines through into every lecture he gives and is infectious. For example, when I took his Western Literature class I found out we would be reading The Odyssey...again. Honestly, I was dreading reading it. The drama of the ancient Greeks had never been of much interest to me. However, by the second or third assignment I was excited to read it. Dr. Tebbetts's fervor, combined with his ample knowledge base, allowed me to look at Odysseus's voyage in a new, exciting way. I genuinely hope that I will be able to do the same for one of my own students someday.

As I said previously, my ideas about education have changed quite a bit over the years thanks to the shaping and molding of some fantastic educators. I believe that this process will continue as I enter the profession, and I aspire to influence a student in the same way these teachers have influenced me.