For now, I'll leave you with the final thoughts from my paper. I almost never include academic writing here, but since I'm having writer's block (Really, I'm feeling the need to write on paper these days, but haven't yet picked out which notebook I'm feeling right now...)
My philosophy on education stems from personal experience and personal triumphs over disappointment. Perhaps it is because of these wounds that I find myself relating to an Existential viewpoint, but despite these views, I am also an Idealist. Even though this seems to be an odd coupling, my background and life experiences seem to explain how I have formulated these conceptions. One of the Freedom Writers in Teaching Hope says, “The youth’s voices echo in my soul and stitch the open wounds of my past” (74). This quote simply explains how I feel about my path towards a career in education. My aim is to listen and guide students through experiences that as an adolescent are difficult to cope with, to guide them to find the truths in life, and to aid in their personal development. There may be a student like me, who had their life focused on one goal, but changed avenues and found something that they love differently, but equally. I strive to become the teacher that listens to the voice of each student, to guide him or her towards the inner truths of life, and strives for them to find their individuality or uniqueness. Perhaps with the voices of my students, I too will be able to stitch and heal the open wounds of my past.
