Ms. Lori Sommars
Personal Profile
I am an ardent devotee of literature, language, and the arts, and I especially enjoy seeing the interrelations between and among these delights of my life. I adore poetry, mythology, and Arthurian legend, and I have a sneaking fondness for classic British mysteries and contemporary fantasy. If you meet me, we’re likely to find some interest we have in common because I enjoy everything from knitting to football (Bears), baking to video games, classical music to metal, and Shakespeare to anime. In my free time I love to write, and on any given day I’m working on at least one such project.
Professional Profile
A native of Wheaton, Illinois, I attended public schools in that town for the entirety of kindergarten through grade twelve. From there I went on to Wheaton College, where I earned a quadruple major in English, Spanish, Ancient Languages, and Secondary Education while participating in activities such as Women’s Chorale and a tutoring program for refugee kids. Two summers were spent studying abroad: one in England where I studied literature and one in Argentina where I lived with a family and honed my language skills while coming to know a culture very different from my own.
I hope to bring all of my studies and experiences into the classroom, for one discipline informs another, and I aim to show students the interrelations of language arts, other academic subjects, and indeed the world itself. Moreover, I pray that God would equip me to reflect his love in teaching students and maintaining a supportive learning environment while helping students develop and polish the faculties he has given them.
Philosophy of Education:
Like the classicist I am, my first impulse when requested to write about my “philosophy of education” is to parse the roots of each of these terms and come to an etymological understanding of them. “Education” comes from the Latin educere, “to lead out” -- in this case, to lead out of ignorance into knowledge. “Philosophy” comes from the Greek φιλοςοφία, meaning “the love of wisdom.” By logical deduction, I might conclude that my philosophy of education is my deep-seated conviction of the wise and proper way of teaching students. However, while etymology can shed light on the history of a word and even give insight into its current nuances, it cannot substitute for a contextual understanding of the term. In this way, my true philosophy of education comes from a blending of my training, experiences, and beliefs. The classroom is a sacred realm, set apart as a place for instruction and growth. I spent thirteen years as a student in the classrooms of public schools, stretching my mind, responding to teachers’ challenges, and striving to relate with my peers. My experiences were not always positive, but I learned from them nonetheless. Now I see the classroom from a teacher’s perspective: the pressure, the anxiety, the zealous desire for students’ success, and the overwhelming grace needed on a daily basis. Thus it is that my philosophy of education is this: education is an art of balancing that blends skill, experience, and wit and governs these with the love and wisdom. In this way, love, wisdom, and leading do work together etymologically in my philosophy of education, but my philosophy finds its root first and foremost in the classroom.
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