I did my undergraduate work in political science and philosophy at SPU, where I was also a 大学学者. After graduating, I was accepted to 为美国而教, and taught fourth grade for two years at He Dog Elementary School in Parmelee, South Dakota. 他的狗是一只小的, country school on the Rosebud Reservation, which is home to the Sicangu Lakota band (the school, 顺便说一下, is named for a compatriot of Crazy Horse).
I returned to 西雅图 to get married and attend law school, though I would have loved to stay at He Dog for additional years. I did get married, but I had a change of heart regarding law school. I wanted to return to teaching, so I applied to SPU's Alternative Routes to Certification program.
3月, I finished my certification requirements, and I can honestly say that I now have an enriched sense of what is possible in education. Having worked only in low-income, 高需求学校, I might have developed a limited vision of how rich curriculum can — and should — be. My courses at SPU, however, pushed me to think about how I might go 除了 teaching basic skills and about how I might teach in a way that actually changes my students' life prospects.
Probably the most important revelation concerning my faith came through a professor's talk on "radical optimism," and how this relates to his teaching. I won't say that I'm radically optimistic, but I aspire to it. I don't know that it's really possible to be a great teacher without radical optimism, without the ability to relentlessly hunt for the good in life and in others, 并充分利用它.
I hope my students feel an urgent need to learn, and that they know that need will be met in my classroom. I hope that my role is reduced to "guide," as students take responsibility for their learning.