17 days and counting...

In 17 days I will be on the plane headed to Sierra Leone. It has been easy for me to get wrapped up in my nerves leading up to this trip and forget about what I am looking forward to experiencing and getting out of this trip. I already know that this trip is going to be a life changing experience, one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

There are many things as a future teacher I hope to get out of this trip. Each day I will have the opportunity to observe classrooms at Zenith, the school where the CRC children attend. I have spent a lot of time over the years developing my philosophy of teaching. I am looking forward to comparing the philosophy of teaching in which I have created through classroom observation, field experience, and internships to the philosophies in which teachers in Africa use. Classroom management is something that I heavily focus on in my philosophy of teaching. One of my focuses will be comparing teaching techniques that teachers at Zenith have in place in order to manage behavior compared to the behavior management techniques I believe should be applied in a classroom.

Being able to show students that learning is fun and exciting is essential to how a child applies him or herself to learning and education. As a teacher however, this can not be the easiest of things to do. I am looking forward to observing how teachers in Africa engage their students in learning and how they not just motivate them to do well in school but how they encourage their students to love learning.

Something that I am looking forward to the most is possibly having the opportunity to talk to the teachers at Zenith. It is going to be such a eye-opening opportunity to be able to get insight from a teacher in Africa on how they feel about being a teacher and their experiences. Being able to talk to the students at Zenith is going to be very inspirational as well.

Throughout my college career I have spent hundreds of hours in American classrooms and have grown to understand that developing a teaching philosophy is an ongoing process and experience. Education is always changing around the world, which means educators must look at teaching as a continuing learning process. As a future teacher, every day I spend in a classroom is allowing me another opportunity to learn something new, just as the students are. I am blessed that I have the opportunity to observe a classroom not just in another state, but in Sierra Leone, Africa. I know at the conclusion of this trip that I will have learned something from the teachers I observe at Zenith and the children I interact with, all of which will have a profound impact on me as a future educator.

It is bittersweet knowing that the final three credits I need in order to complete my degree for graduation in May, will be coming from making a difference in the lives of children half way around the world. There aren't too many college students that get to experience such a thing.