educational metaphor

             Educational Metaphor

I believe the purpose of education is to provide students with the opportunity to become productive citizens and lead us in the 21^st century.  My metaphor would be that educators are like bricklayers building a foundation.  Good educators must provide students with abilities to become a strong group of leaders for the next generation.  As each layer of brick is added to the foundation, more knowledge is gained.  It must be emphasized that strong foundations begin early on in a student’s lifelong journey of learning. 

These bricklayers (educators) must provide, not only the academics, for the students but the students’ foundation must also be strong with other additional skills.  Students must acquire critical reasoning skills, problem solving abilities, social skills, and common sense to have their own secure building of knowledge.

Just as the school environment should be strong, safe, and secure, so too should be the foundation of the students learning.  The actual school building foundation must provide security and be able to withstand disasters and unexpected problems.  The students’ foundation must also be taught how to cope with mishaps along the way in their life’s journey.

Real bricklayers must be knowledgeable masons in that they must know how to build a good, strong foundation.  We all know what happens to a building when the structure itself is not sound.  Therefore, students need a good strong foundation to build upon for their own knowledge. When students do not have this good foundation, their education begins to crumble.

Professional bricklayers share ideas and plan with colleagues.  By working with experienced bricklayers, they learn the proper procedures for spreading mortar and laying bricks. Educators, as well, should plan together and share ideas so they are able to implement stronger lessons.

Just as a real bricklayer will construct any type of building foundation, an educator should educate and construct a strong foundation for any child.  The race, color, or socioeconomic status of a student should not matter.  All children should be provided the same learning opportunity. 

When mixing the mortar to lay a building foundation it must be a perfect mixture of cement, rock, and water.  When laying the foundation for a student’s knowledge there also must be the right amount of materials.  Students need to have numerous mixtures of caring, support, nurturing, and the right amount of affection in order to become strong.  Students, just like buildings, must realize they are all different, unique, and each can stand up for themself. 

            The education and desire for knowledge ends up being the mortar the bricklayer keeps applying to the foundation.

 Three things I have learned up to this point are:

There are differnt types of ELL programs.
Special education students should be treated as equals in all clasroom settings.
There are numerous philosophical orientations and I am a strong believer in Cognitivism.

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