There is a wonderful Chinese saying that has always resounded strongly with me.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Though, sadly, the identity of the speaker of this phrase has been lost to us through the passage of time the message within still resounds even today. I feel it most strongly depicts my feelings on education and, should that same person be around today, I am sure that they would not object when I change their words to say:
“Teach a student a lesson, they learn one thing. Teach a student to think, inquire and find meaning and they will learn for a lifetime.”
This general belief, that teaching students how to actively ponder, ask and learn more about the things and the world around them effectively sums up my own professional philosophy.
I believe that all students have within them a deep seeded need to question and understand the world around them. I feel our role as educators is to support and encourage these questioning minds and refine the skills and interests of our students so that they can effectively inquire and learn for the rest of their lives. After all, don’t we always purport that we, and our students, are lifelong learners? That is also why, as my career has advanced, I have found myself drawn towards the information and media sciences. It is my belief that, as an educator, it is my responsibility to foster skills of learning and provide meaningful experiences to practice these skills, for my students and to continue to challenge them in these ways throughout their time with me.
I want to be the professional who works with students and works with them often. The driving force behind my need to be a librarian and media specialist is founded in the concept of developing lasting relationships with students and colleagues that span more than a grade level or single subject. The media center is to be the hub of the school, the center point where all other learning comes together. The librarian’s role is not to stay there but to instead move up and down the spokes. Tightening knowledge on a subject area here, loosening the controlling bonds on a research project there so that the educational community becomes a true circle that can roll smoothly through the coming changes, advancements and startling possibilities of the future.
