“Being creative, enthusiastic, and motivated takes energy” .McCaskill, Wilson. (2002). Children Aren’t Made of China. Play is the Way Ltd. KARRINYUP WA. ISBN 978-0-9578659-1-4.
This quote means that being a teacher requires a lot more than just standing in front of a classroom all day 5 days a week. It is also a constant consumer of emotional and mental energy. A teacher is a job where I must always be creative and energetic and at the end of the day if I am both emotionally and physically exhausted, then I have done my job well because I have provided creativity in my lessons during the day. Furthermore, I follow McCaskill’s words further by agreeing with this statement “A teacher that is creative and energetic creates an educational environment in which children and teachers thrive and grow” (P. 27). I believe the notion of old-fashioned teaching such as standing in front of a class lecturing hour after hour does not provide the best learning environment. I have been inspired by teachers I have had in the past who made learning amusing and enjoyable but above all, educational. For example my second, third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers were these sorts of teachers during elementary school. Those teachers have inspired me to pursue my dreams of becoming a teacher. On the other hand, I have had teachers who were old-fashioned and those teachers have inspired me to become a better teacher. For example, my sixth-grade teacher was very strict, old-fashioned, a “detention giver” for the smallest infractions so I will not be that sixth grade teacher. Going back to McCaskill’s quote, this is huge part of my teaching philosophy because I hope and I strive to make learning not only educational but fun and enjoyable through creativity. I can use the concepts of Play is the Way to make my classroom fun, enjoyable and educational. An example of this is playing a game from Play is the Way each day because each game fits the criteria of all Core Competencies of Communication, Personal & Social and Thinking. An important component in learning is on how to help students work together and become more comfortable out of their comfort zones. More importantly, it will allow students to grow emotionally, mentally and socially as children and as learners.