Reflection Number Nine

I have always been one to believe that you can always learn something new if you just allow yourself to be open minded and this believe proved to be true once I concluded my reading of this article. Through my reading of this article I was able to learn many new things on the topics of beliefs, convictions, values and many other topics that revolve around development and people in general. Though I learned many things, one conclusion seemed to stand out above the rest.

As a pre-professional educator, I believe that it is my job to be respectful of all the beliefs and values my future students will possess. Though I have come across many educators who feel children don’t know what they believe and it is our job to shape their beliefs, I feel that it does not always work that way. After reading the definition and aspects of what a belief and a value is, I came to realize that though children are young and often times have not experienced the word enough to have a conclusive belief and value on things, they still hold their standpoints on various issues. This concept is one that I feel is most important for all teachers to remember. Many times students are thought of as just children; however, students are people the same as everybody else and they often hold more complex beliefs on things than adults do. Students have voices and I feel that as a teacher, to be, it is my job to harbor such voice and give it an outlet to speak freely and learn about the other voices around them.

Parallel to teaching me a many new things, this article went to act as a support to my predisposed feelings towards teacher sad n the role they must fulfill. I believe that teachers are there to help guide students so that they can learn how to make educated and well thought out decisions. It is a teacher’s duty to facilitate a fun learning environment that work to help broaden a Childs horizon, not change it to fit a horizon that the teacher sees as being fit. This article allowed me to see and learn that a belief, value, and conviction, though often times well grounded can be changed- in the same way a paradigm can. Though in order to do so one must acknowledge the validity of the previously held belief; they must do this in a not only constructive manner, but in a way that works to show that person a new outlook in hopes that they will grow to view things in a different light.

Overall, I feel that this article is one that all future and current teachers should read for it not only teachers you many interesting things, but it goes to help demonstrate the gravity of what a belief is and how it helps to shape a person’s mind set.