Knowledge is like a seed; without someone planting it, fruit cannot be produced. I view school as an uncharted garden, one in which there is so much potential for life, beauty, and fruit. Without someone taking the time to plant, nourish, and tend to the growth of each individual plant, the garden remains as it was at first: uncharted but full of hidden potential.
As an individual, I am passionate about gaining knowledge and sharing knowledge, stemming from my personal and familial experiences. Since I can remember, I have loved finding knowledge like a hidden treasure. Growing up as a Polish immigrant, I was taught that the most valuable thing that someone can obtain is knowledge. I have found over the years that, through the example my parents set before me, people can never grow poor as long as they educate themselves.
As a teacher, my job is not only to share knowledge, but to plant such seeds in the garden of my classroom. In doing so, both a love of learning and a well of understanding will be instilled into this next generation. Currently, I teach my students all subjects, so it is not only important for me to have a proper foundation in math, science, social studies, reading, and writing, but to also have the proper understanding of how to teach these subjects. As an innovative educator, I daily welcome every opportunity to gain more and more knowledge in these areas.
It is this drive for greater understanding that has led me to begin contemplating taking on the role of an administrator. Serving as the lead gardener of a school, it would be my responsibility to foster the growth of the other gardeners who work alongside of me. I have been inspired to pursue this degree by those administrators who time and time again, sat with me outside of school hours, trained me in new technologies, and encouraged me during my most trying days. Evidently, it was the faith of an administrator, just last year, that began my love for administrative work. In the summer of 2015, she presented me with the opportunity to develop a new social studies curriculum for my grade level. In the midst of creating and designing, I began to fall in love with the infrastructure of instruction. It was then that I saw the beauty and importance of the work that administrators do behind the scenes to create an environment of highest academic learning. These gardeners above me have sculpted me into the educator I am today and the administrator I want to become.
In January I will be entering a graduate program to learn from successful, passionate, knowledgeable, and more experienced gardeners who have devoted themselves to this profession. Like these educational leaders before me, I am looking forward to gaining this treasure: knowledge, so as to continue sowing seeds and nourishing the garden of my classroom. When the time is right, my goal is to take the information that I have learned and spread it to others. I anticipate the day when my classroom could become a school and I find myself teaching, sharing, learning and growing from not only children, but teachers as well.
Note: I want to emphasize the phrase "when the time is right". I love what I currently do and enjoy learning with my students each and every day. We will see where my journey takes me in the future and I am in no rush. In the meantime, I look forward to growing as a teacher through my graduate school program by learning how to serve my students better.