Every child deserves an excellent education that allows them to gain knowledge and make informed life choices. The teacher plays a foundational role in the learning experience and can significantly impact students' receptivity and creativity, beyond just delivering facts. An effective education inspires curiosity, imparts relevant knowledge, and reinforces positive responses, requiring intuition, respect for differences, active listening and adaptation from the teacher. The author's teaching style uses Socratic questioning to lead students to find their own solutions, recognizing that children have different learning styles requiring observation and customized lessons and assessments. A positive learning experience can foster students' hunger to learn and confidence to improve their choices inside and outside the classroom.

1. EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Every child deserves the opportunity to pursue an excellent education. As the
student gains and applies knowledge, she is able to understand, make informed choices
and better her chance to live a more fulfilling and accomplished life in general. The
teacher is foundational to the total learning experience as perceived from the observer.
Unfortunately, despite improved curriculum, state of the art technology and well-
researched assessment techniques, the classroom instructor can “make or break”
receptivity and creativity in young minds. Education is not just about delivering facts
and formulas, but more about inspiring curiosity, imparting relevant knowledge and
reinforcing positive response to the lesson at hand. This requires a great deal of intuition,
respect for differences, active listening and adaptation on the part of the teacher. My
style includes a Socratic method of teaching, whereby questions lead to other questions
that ideally lead the student to finding the solution, or the answer, on her own. I believe
that children have different learning styles and ways of responding, which requires keen
observation and customization in how a lesson will be presented and assessed for
understanding. Hopefully, a positive and successful learning experience will enlighten
my students to develop a hunger for learning and a confidence in taking risks to improve,
not only their grades, but also their personal choices outside of the classroom.