Rita Opara

My name is Sister Rita Opara and I am a member of the Vocationist Sisters congregation in Florham Park. I am originally from Nigeria.I graduated from Caldwell College on May 2013. As an educator, I believe that the foundation of educational growth, success, and transformation is often closely related to the family in which one is born, if that individual chooses to follow or rebel against their familys lifestyle and beliefs, as well as the culture and life experiences that an individual encounters throughout her lifetime. My educational history follows this idea in that, it is shaped by my familys beliefs, backgrounds, and interests, my own experiences in secondary education, observation of master teacher in classrooms and undergraduate education, as well as my life experiences where doors of opportunity have been open and closed. My development in the educational realm has shaped my ideas and beliefs on the aims of education, the proper role of a teacher, and how I view myself as a teacher. My educational history can be identified by three distinct periods in my life, with each period having a different, yet equally significant impact on my educational growth, success, and philosophy. The foundation period of my education, which I consider to be elementary and middle school, was significantly influenced by my parents and the stress they put on the importance of education. After building a foundation for my own educational goals, the second period of my educational history and growth occurred in high school. During this time the culture of my school made me very aware of socio-economic differences and the importance of having schools that were diverse racially, socially, and economically. Finally, my time as a student at Caldwell College really opened my eyes to the value of critical and analytically thinking, as well as the importance of looking at different perspectives in education. I believe that the aim of education is not only to help students learn the given content, but also to foster critical thinking, cultural and socio-economic understanding that will encourage informed and active citizenship. I think the position of the New Jersey Board of Education on educational aims reflects my own aims well. As quoted by Martin Luther King, Jr., The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. By engaging students through discovery, analysis, and interactive learning students will not only be interested in the content but will learn the necessary skills to become a valuable member of society. When education allows students to interact with others from different backgrounds and study events from different perspectives, they are able to learn to work with people unlike themselves and to appreciate each others perspectives. Without cooperation, understanding, critical thinking, and learning our nation and world would not be able to function. In order to reach this aim in education the teacher must play a pivotal role. Primarily,teachers must strive to make learning interactive and stimulating to the students. Rote memory and lecture will do nothing but push students away and decrease any educational value. Ultimately, I believe all students are capable of learning and that effective teachers can reach every student. Students should not be thought of as mindless individuals just waiting to be filled with knowledge by their teachers. To Teach is to Learn Twice over