What Have I Done?

With this post, I am wrapping up my fourth class in the DLL program. One-third of the way to my master's degree in education. My master's degree in education. That phrase has always intrigued me. I don't know if this is true for other languages, but I love the way that, in English, we tend to say "I'm working on my PhD," or "I'm getting my HVAC license" as opposed to, say, "I'm working on a master's degree." It's a very optimistic way of phrasing it--it expresses an assumption that there's a high school diploma, a bachelor's degree, a tech certification, a doctorate, whatever, just waiting out there for each and every one of us, and meant just for us. We don't have to create it out of thin air. We just have to take the steps to go get it.

My Learning Philosophy

When I was 10 years old, I was a Cub Scout, and for Christmas my parents gave me a copy of the Boy Scout Handbook, to prepare me for moving on to the next level of Scouting. There were all kinds of interesting things in the book: identifying edible plants, first aid techniques, folding a neckerchief, etc. Of all the topics presented, one section that stuck with me was the section on firestarting. Not because I actually learned the skill; I can barely get a fire going in a fireplace. The reason that section stuck with me is that it began with an almost offhand example of a teaching philosophy that blew my young mind with its simplicity. The book is long gone from my shelf, but I can paraphrase at the very least. Its point was to the effect that "When someone asks you to teach them something, your first instinct will probably be to say 'Sure!' But your answer should be, 'No, I can't. But I'll help you learn for yourself!"