Philosophy of Education

Bruce A. Cook

One of my goals each year as a teacher was to teach my students to think for themselves. I wanted them to have inquiring minds. Education is so important in today's highly technological and fast-paced world. It's not enough to just teach children facts. Those "facts' may quickly become out-of-date or they may be revised in just a few short years. I not only tried to teach children how to find answers for themselves, but also how to ask questions.

The same inquiring mind should also be a key ingredient of a successful teacher or principal. This led to my interest in school administration. A school administrator has a major impact on the success of a school. I think that the most important factor in a school's spirit is its principal. Parents and teachers have know this for years: good schools almost always have good principals - men and women who care about education, who genuinely like kids and who will fight hard enough for their ideas to make them work. Good principals attract good teachers, fire up the mediocre ones and get the maximum from their staff. A good principal takes it for granted that children will learn, and helps both students and teachers overcome their limitations.

Good schools begin with a sense of excitement, a kind of electricity. Interesting things are happening there. When parents, children and teachers are working together - great things happen!

Education is one of the most rewarding field there is, but it is also one of the most demanding. It takes people with intelligence, enthusiasm and a willingness to adapt in order to be successful. And perhaps most important of all, it takes character. It is something that you have to really want to do to do it well. Teachers and administrators have so much influence on young people's lives. It's hard to imagine another field where one person can make such a positive impact.

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