Dr. Sue Ellen McCalley, Professor in the School of Education at Avila University, has expertise is in special education, literacy, and learning theory. She has traveled internationally to consult on developing programs for children with special needs in China, Russia, South Africa, India, and Singapore.
In my Developmental and Education Psychology class, I begin each week with a quote. Each quote is discussed in pairs and as a whole class. My goal is to have these pre-service teachers explore education through a broader lens; to have the students go beyond their present classwork; to move beyond making lesson plans according to a specific curriculum, and to consider their own education more comprehensively. Student responses to these quotes have been amazing. They frequently remark: “I haven’t ever thought about this!”
I hope that you will find them equally interesting. These are some of the quotes we have explored as a class:
“Teaching is not just a job. It is a human service, and it must be thought of as a mission.” Dr. Ralph Tyler
“Events in our classroom today will prompt world events tomorrow.” J. Lloyd Trump
“What office is there which involves more responsibility, which requires more qualification, and which ought, therefore, to be more honorable, than that of teaching?” Harriet Martineau
“Education is not a destination. It is a journey.”
“The utmost extent of man’s knowledge is to know that he knows nothing.” Joseph Addison
“To every answer, you can find a new question.” Yiddish Proverb
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Derek Bok
“At the desk where I sit, I have learned one great truth. The answer for all of our national problems, the answer for all the problems of the world – comes to a single word. That word is education.” Lyndon B. Johnson
“If there is anything we wish to change in a child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could be better changed in ourselves.” Carl Jung