Perhaps the biggest form of diversity among educators today are their own personal philosophies toward teaching and learning. There is not necessarily a "correct" philosophy for a teacher to have, but certainly a person's views on teaching and learning tend to structure his or her classroom methods. As a future educator, I also have my own distinctive philosophy on teaching that serves as a guide to how I will teach. This philosophy centers on my views of four topics: the purpose of schooling, the nature of curriculum, the role of a teacher, and the role of a student.

The purpose of schooling should not simply be to teach children the "three r's." While it is important for schools to give their students a certain "core knowledge," the truly important things in life are often being overlooked in today's curricula. For example, schools should incorporate ideas of good global citizenship across subject matters. It is my firm belief that the more conscientious and understanding we can make our youth, the better the world will be. Schooling should be a place of personal growth for children as well. Students can learn best when they begin to understand that achieving their academic goals will translate to achieving their life goals. Therefore, the purpose of schooling is to produce well-rounded and good global citizens.

When discussing curriculum it is very important to not discount standardized testing, although many people would like to do so. There is a great deal of merit to having students demonstrate that they understand certain aspects of education such as reading comprehension, math skills, etc. Unfortunately, these tests tend to work against this goal sometimes. Aside from obtaining this core knowledge, it is very important for students to think outside the box. A curriculum should not just focus on the basics, but should include a wide range of studies to help the students become more analytical thinkers and to become productive members of society. This means that students should not only have a classical liberal arts education, but they should also understand the importance of certain vocations if practical to the real world.

The role of the teacher in today's world seems to be rapidly changing on an almost daily basis. Educators have become everything from social workers to parental figures in many cases. While a teacher's responsibilities have grown, this is not necessarily a negative aspect of the profession. It is important

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