My philosophy of education is....well, actually, I hate the question. Often in academia, we are asked to explain our philosophy of whatever our craft is. It sounds nice, but honestly, I end up praying all the time about my career. Either I've had the kind of day where the decisions I've had to make required God's divine guidance, OR just getting THROUGH the day required God's divine intervention to keep me sane! Either way, prayer was a big part of it. So when I was asked to write my philosophy of education, it only seemed fitting to write a prayer. I chose to pattern my philosophy after the well known Prayer of Serenity. This was in 2002, and a decade later, it still holds true for me.
God, grant me the willingness to be a student first,
Learning from the students, staff, parents and community
I serve.
God, grant me the aptitude to foster a love for education and self-esteem in my traditional and non-traditional learners.
God, grant me the forbearance to care for the needs of the whole child, nurturing them emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially.
God, grant me an attitude of gratitude for my teachers, and a mindset of service to my students.
God, grant me a spirit of humility in the midst of leadership,
and the confidence to always do the right thing.
God, grant me the faith to step out of the box and take risks that will benefit my students in the name of education.
God, grant me the strength to masterfully manage the tasks at hand, and the wisdom to appreciate those who carry them out.
God, grant me the courage to move forward toward the light,
and the sense to step aside to let others shine with me.
God, grant me the boldness to stand on my convictions, and the guts to welcome change with a smile.
God, grant me the understanding that my compensation comes not from a paycheck, but from the knowledge that I am making a difference.
God, grant me the power to combat problems with prayer, ignorance with love, and frustration with a good laugh.
God, grant me the capacity to live, walk and think by this philosophy in every aspect of my life, every day of my life.
Lesleigh C. Mausi, M.Ed. -2002
