When I was a child growing up here in Mobile, Alabama, all I ever wanted to become was a teacher. I would come home from school with my old papers and lay them around the edge of my bed and pretend that there were students sitting there. I would "teach" them "lessons" out of old National Geographic Magazines and reading books. I would pretend that my students were asking questions, and I would answer them as best as I could from my readings. To this end, I was heavily influenced by my mother, Jannetta Hicks Alexander. She was a high school English Teacher at St. Elmo back in the sixties. She has always encouraged my brother, Charles and me to learn and to explore our minds and the world around us. She has been very interested in knowledge and would often read or share with us the many interessting things that she had learned. It is this generous spirit coupled with her thirst for learning that my mother used to encourage her students to higher heights and to inspire me to teaach.
People know when you care about them. I have always been interested in helping people to better themselves. This is one of the things that drew me into the outreach ministry of which I am a part. It is also what compels me to teach. Not only is it the sharing of knowledge, but it is also the giving of the opportunity to my students to become lifelong learners and contributors. It is important to me that my students gain knowledge and also be aware of how to use it to better the world around them, for "No man is an island unto himself. We are all a part of the continent and of the main," poet John Donne once wrote. I want my students to have the advantage of an education and to be able to share this advantage with others around them by being positive role models through their lifelong learning. "Neither do men light a candle, and hide it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." Matthew 5:15 KJV
Therefore, my philosophy of education encompasses a world view. Education, though it should befefit the whole man, should also be a tool to be shared in order to lift our fellow man to his highest possibilities, enabling him to be his best and highest self and in turn have a ripple effect on society as he shares what he knows and is. If we as educatirs are to influence our society, nation, and world to become strong and effective, we need to make sure knowledge is made accessible to all and the a lifelong love of learning is encouraged.
A Bit About Me
My name is Henryetta Alexander-Wheaten. I am a prospective Secondary Education-Language Arts Teacher. I currently hold a B. A. Degree in English from the University of South Alabama. I am presently working towards my teaching certification. I have been writing for for nearly thirty years and my genres include nature poetry, essays, and mystery prose. I am an outreach evangelist at Christians united Church. I also work with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in the Delta Academy with girls ages 11 to 14. I enjoy working with young people and instilling in them a love of literature and lifelong learning. I have been married for 6 years to the Reverend Leonard E. Wheaten and we have two beautiful sons, Leonard Jr. who is 5, and Malcolm Maurice, who is 1.
More About Me
I am a senior at the University of South Alabama where I am majoring in both Secondary Education and English/ Language Arts. I want to become a teacher of English because I love literature and was raised with it as my mother was also an English teacher. I believe in instilling in young people a love of both literature and lifelong learning. I believe that every child can learn and that it is our responsibility as teachers to build their self-esteem and academic confidence through sound teaching.
I am a senior at the University of South Alabama where I am majoring in both Secondary Education and English/ Language Arts. I want to become a teacher of English because I love literature and was raised with it as my mother was also an English teacher. I believe in instilling in young people a love of both literature and lifelong learning. I believe that every child can learn and that it is our responsibility as teachers to build their self-esteem and academic confidence through sound teaching.
My Teaching Philosophy
