Independent, Lifelong Learners

This is the purpose of teaching: That my students won't need me anymore.

This is one of many statements that Lindsey Anderson made last spring during a discussion led by herself and Professor Mike Borka. Lindsey Anderson is a recent St. Bens graduate and now teaches at Orono. She teamed up with Mike Borka to explore reading and writing workshops in elementary schools and led a discussion about what they had discovered. The above statement is one that has stuck with me.

Ask any teacher what they love most about teaching and many of them will tell you that "seeing the lightbulb turn on" is what makes everything else worth it. They love working diligently with a student to the point where "it" finally "clicks." As future teachers, I think we are all excited to be the person that the student can count on. We like to call the shots, give information and watch the students soak it in. What happens, though, when the teacher is no longer there? Where will students turn to get their questions answered and who will stimulate deeper thought on a given subject? As teachers, we need to give our students the tools to know how to learn and to know that they are capable.

I think that the most important learning goal for middle level students is to develop the skills needed to become independent, lifelong learners. Middle level students are very impressionable and teachers should use this to the students' own advantage when considering teaching in a middle level school. Elementary years are for laying the groundwork; high school years are about honing those skills for future use in settings outside the high school classroom. Middle level years should be used to ignite a love for learning and to develop the skills needed for success in every area of their lives: reading, writing and thinking. We should develop avid readers, reflective writers and curious thinkers. After all, the future of our world is in the hands of our youth... we need to prepare those hands to gently handle this precious burden and mold it into a beautiful place welcome to all.

So how does a teacher embark upon this journey of molding independent, lifelong learners? She demonstrates that she, herself, is one of those, too. This teacher is passionate about learning. She is knowledgeable about her subject but willing to learn more. She is a student as well as a teacher. And this is demonstrated by her eagerness to show her students why and how that happened. Within the context of a language arts classroom, she reads from a variety of genres and frequently talks about the books she is reading; she questions aloud about the author's intentions and wonders to her students about the plot, argument or theme. She writes constantly and shares her work with her students, inviting them to offer their thoughts and criticism; she praises the solace and comfort she finds in giving her thoughts a voice on paper. She does not tell her students how to learn and sit back and watch; she explores the many ways to learn and ventures down the path with her students at her side.

I am proud to say that I am an independent, lifelong learner. I have learned the skills and strategies necessary to question my world and find answers in unlikely places. My groundwork has been established, my skills honed, and now education is able to originate internally rather than externally. I have yet to develop, however, the skills and strategies for externalizing my behavior. My curiosity and thirst for knowledge comes from a bottomless well within me - I need to find a way to raise the bucket and let my experience overflow and influence the minds of my students. That being said, my goal for this course is to reflect on why learning is so close to my heart and experiment with ways to externalize my findings. This class is an opportunity to explore and practice - after all is said and done, I want to look back at my experience and know that I left my students with more than a few nuggets of knowledge; I want them to have found a new place in their heart where their love for learning has taken root and will continue to grow throughout their lives.