10/26/2020
I wanted to share something of the vision of Jefferson Education Academy with you.
I grew up in a home where intuitive teaching occurred in infinite small moments of time. I learned that life is to be fully investigated. Each new item or idea was to be turned over, cut open, and shaken out until understood. Then, that understanding was bounced off of life so that it reflected itself in beautiful ways, again and again. William Butler Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of the pail but the lighting of the fire!” I aim not to teach, but to inspire. My intent is to promote each student to their own excellence by lighting the fire of discovery in every new and incredible idea that they encounter in and outside of the classroom. Furthermore, I want the students to see the connection that lies in individual subjects and bring them together into one great whole of understanding. I believe that the art of teaching lies within the words of Alexandra K. Trenfor when she states that, “The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see.” Like Trenfor, I believe that the first step to learning is to trigger curiosity by symbolically “tasting” an idea, then let that curiosity lead to creation.
My ambition, and the reason I created Jefferson Education Academy, is to foster in students the ability to use integrative critical thinking in and outside of the classroom. I believe that each student begins with his own level of ability to think critically about a simple idea. Then with a drop of curiosity he can link that idea to another area of learning. As more and more links are made and the original idea is strengthened by pivots of truth, the student begins to desire a constructive outcome. Strengthened that the idea is present in all disciplines, both in and out of the classroom, he becomes alert to the acquisition of knowledge through asking questions. A web of evidence is created wherewith the student begins to have an understanding of what he experiences in his own world and in time the intricacies of the world around him. In the long run, this makes him a better human being. He becomes an effective problem-solver and leader in ingenuity because for him it is not so much about the solution as it is about defining and researching the problem. Because they have inherited a world innate with problems, the power to use integrative critical thinking will prepare my students to meet complex problems with confidence and skill.
- Sandy
