User:Efari002

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Introduction
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My name is Ed Farinholt and I am embarking on a second career in teaching after working over twenty years in the information technology field. Fishing, playing trumpet and reading are my main hobbies lately. My son Evan attends South Carolina University and in his third year studying graphical arts. During most of my adult life I have taught religion classes to middle school aged children at the various Catholic Churches. Teaching has been a love that I hoped to pursue at some point in my life. Now after so many years working for large companies driven largely by a profit motive, I would now like to give back to young students some knowledge and experience acquired through my profession career.

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Background
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Most of my life has been in Northern Virginia but I did spend several of my formative years in Sunnyvale, California (prior to it being known as Silicon Valley) and in Richardson, Texas. My main interests growing up were playing soccer and learning to play the trumpet. My high school years were spent in a minor seminary studying college preparatory acedemics and Franciscan spirituality. When I discovered I did not have a vocation to be a priest I attended and graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science and major in Economics. After college I started my career in Information Technology working for a satellite data and voice communications startup company. This was followed by thirteen years working for a series of Government contracting companies including IBM, Loral and Lockheed Martin Corporations. In my late twenties I married Katie, jointly raised our son and then we divorced after seven years. A few years later I moved to McKinney, Texas and worked for the Dallas Federal Reserve for three years. I then moved back to Virginia to work with my brother on a startup company to provide in home non-medical services to senior citizens and convelescing individuals. Unfortunately we could not get enough business to break even so I decided to follow a dream to be an professional educator and hopefully make a difference in some young student's lives.

Philosophy of Education
The art of teaching, like parenting, provides an exceptional opportunity to share with the young our knowledge and experiences in life. We have an ideal means of contributing to the cognitive development of young people as they advance toward their adulthood. As a math teacher I will be employing a pedagogy that integrates two popular teaching paradigms, the essentialist and the progressive teaching philosophies.

Children have a right to live and learn about the world in which they live and to participate in efforts to make it a better place in which to live. I would agree with Mortimer J. Adler that, "...the primary aim of education [is for] the betterment of men not with respect to their differences but with respect to the similarities which all men have." (Adler, ) The ever changing world events and advancements in technology call for a truly adaptive mind, which can both assimilate information and make judgments using applied knowledge. I find that it is fascinating to discover the views of others on such developments and discussing them logically. Helping students make informed decisions requires a positive attitude and a view that learning is a lifetime experience.

Teaching Methods

I agree to some extent with John Dewey with regard to insistence on some activity by the students so that, "the subject matter of the schoolroom must be enlarged to take in the new elements and needs of society." (Dewey, ) While I certainly do not agree entirely with the level of student involvment, students should be encouraged to take part in classroom and community activities to enhance and broaden their learning experiences. Invitations to various professionals in the community to talk about the application of mathematics in the business and scientific world will insure at least two presentations a year. Students will be encouraged to apply their knowledge using commonly available devices like computers, calculators or personal data assistants (PDAs) for class presentations.

Discipline

In order to maintain order and a proper atmosphere for learning, a syllabus will be provided each student at the beginning of the year with general guidelines on the textbook readings, projects, test dates and the basic boundaries of behavior expected during class sessions. It will be made clear that respectful behavior extends between them and with their teacher so that all have a proper learning environment. Otherwise, the consequences of their actions will match the level of their behavior. In truth, however rewarding positively will be the target in the classroom with the aim being to encourage growth in knowledge and behavior. Privileges will come to those who are good examples and encouragement to those with more behavioral issues.

Closing
Teaching affords the instructor the unique and truly honorable task of cooperating with parents in forming and maturing young minds and even hearts. In fact, education is a duty that adults must share with the young for the high purpose of attempting to leave this world in a better state than that in which we were raised. According to the Judeo-Christian tradition to which I ascribe, parents are to "...bring [children] up in...discipline and instruction..." (Eph 6:4) The degree that I as a teacher contribute rather than retract from this noble end will be th ultimate measure of my success as a teacher.