As I begin my journey as a teacher, I have been encouraged to begin by reflecting on my strengths as a human being. This is intended to provide a positive foundation and direction for personal and professional development. I believe my foundation is compromised of three pillars: a compassionate ethics, a critical mind, and committed effort.

The single most decisive aspect of my personality throughout my life has been my sense of fairness, which my mind applies critically to come to notions of justice. Sometimes this bears the aggressive connotations of the word in that I have a compelling intolerance of injustice. In my best moments, I like to think am moved by the compassionate connotations of justice – that a just decision, community, or society is one where the consideration, inclusion, and realization of each person is as broad and deep as possible. I believe this sense of fairness and justice has maintained an integrity in my lifestyle and determined my life endeavours.

My second strength is my ability to synthesize information. I have always enjoyed challenging assumptions and understanding how complexity can be conceptualized, manipulated, and reimagined – this is often the articulation of my sense of fairness. This has made me driven to consume more knowledge to construct more fulsome and meaningful models of the world and how to improve it.

My final strength is dedication and persistence. When I decide something ought to be, I become committed to realizing it – this is often the praxis of my sense of fairness. This commitment is demonstrated in being meticulous in an immediate task and consistent in broad aims.

With this reflection, I will work to consciously bring compassion, curiosity, and commitment to my teaching.