It's my belief that as teachers we wear many different "hats", and have to wear these different "hats" usually all at the same time. Over the next couple of pages I will discuss the varying "hats" that teachers wear and then present some practices that I would use to address these different "hats".

    The main "hat" I believe we wear, on a societal level, is that of teachers as the shapers of society. In the past, education was not seen as an integral part of a child's life, and many were forced to work to help their family survive. Laws have changed and it is now a requirement that all children attend some sort of formal schooling. Unfortunately in some countries, and in many underprivileged areas, schooling is not emphasized and children must work. However, most children do attend some school, and therefore they must pass through the school system before entering the work force, where having a high school diploma is quintessentially a necessity.

    When children first begin their education, they have little to no writing skills, reading skills or math skills. It is our job as teachers to instill these important skills in the students. It is for this reason that I feel that teachers shape society. We teach people how to read and write, we teach them science and math, and most importantly we teach them how to be responsible beings. We may have formal subjects that are very evident since they are given names and numbers that are also assigned credit towards passing onto the next grade and ultimately graduation, but the most important subject is that of morals. There is no formal course called Morals 101, but we are expected to teach it, and even place more emphasis on it than any academic courses that are secondary. Because we teach respect, understanding and acceptance, that is why society places great importance on them. But if we were to teach ignorance, racism and exclusion, then that is what society would reflect. Because we are teaching students to be independent beings with the ability to form their own views and opinions, we must then also lack bias and opinion when inside the classroom.

    Although some people may expect teachers to be superhuman, in reality we are people like everybody else, and therefore we have biases. However, because we are teachers, and want the students to think for themselves, we must leave these biases at home. For example, we may be in our classroom and hear a student make a comment about a certain race's role in society that is negative, and we may share this same opinion, but as teachers we must reprimand the student and try to teach them to accept everyone. Realistically no one person will ever accept every single person and thing because we aren't robots, we're people with feelings and opinions.

    Another important aspect of education and being a teacher is that we're not just teachers. A teacher is someone who tells you something and then you are expected to learn it and know it. Having recently graduated from high school, I realize how pointless this method is. Everybody learns in a slightly different way, and although one student may learn by being told something, others may be kinesthetic or visual learners, which means we must be facilitators and make an environment that is best for each student to learn in the way that is best for them.

    We must also be friends, councilors and sometimes even parents. We have to listen to the students because sometimes they feel that we're the only person they can confide in, and then it may be necessary to help them deal with a problem if they want help. Also we may have to be parents because there are times that we must discipline the students in a way that we think is fair and just, and there are times that some students have parents they can't really talk to or trust which is why they'll come to us. Unfortunately there is a down side to being these different people, which is that there's a real possibility that the fine line between student and teacher can become blurred, and a student may develop an affection for the teacher because they are so caring when the student feels that no one else in their life cares. Therefore to avoid this we must maintain a professional distance and always make sure the student understands that there is a line that cannot be crossed.

    And finally, I believe that teachers are often used as scapegoats for the problems in a child, or on a larger scale, society. We are blamed because a parent's child didn't do well on a test and therefore we didn't teach it properly, and when a student does do well it's because they're smart, not because we taught them well and spent some extra time with them. In society if someone kills another person the first question people ask is where did the parents go wrong, the second question usually is what happened to them in school?

    So after having mulled over all these different roles, I ask myself how I can meet all these different requirements to a satisfactory level. How can I take the theoretical and put it into practice?

    In my classroom I will have posters hanging up that depict various races and both genders in a favourable light in many different aspects of life. If a problem arises that may be rooted in hatred or ignorance, I'll have a class discussion and talk about the problem, why the student or students feel that way, and then how their view or comment may be flawed and some positive traits that the aforementioned group have that are good. For example a student may make a racial slur that targets Greeks, and then I'd mention that the English language is derived from ancient Greece and that many Greeks contributed to what is now modern math and science.

    Also as a technology teacher I am in a position in which I can integrate many different cultures into my projects. I can have a project in which one of the requirements is that they use cedar and put a native drawing on their project which would hopefully instill some understanding of the Native Indian culture. As well I can teach the students to use woods and materials that are abundant so they gain some awareness of the environment.

    In my class there will be no gender or race. I will teach the students that each and every one of us are individuals and that we must look beyond people's outer shells and look inside them to see what makes them special as a person and to respect their opinions even if we don't agree with them.

    My educational philosophy is one that is based on respect, acceptance and understanding. We are not just teachers but facilitators, friends, councilors and parents. Although we do not always get a lot of respect by society, I feel that we are the second most important people in a child's life after their parents and that it is up to us to turn them into the wonderful people that we know they are. This is a job that I have come to realize is going to be difficult, a lot of hard work and a lot of guts with little glory, but I also know that it is watching the students succeed that is what our job is truly all about and where I'll get my own glory.