Knowledge is power! Yeah...I know this statement is a cliché, but I sometimes clichés are useful, especially when they true. Sir Francis Bacon was the first to speak this truth in the year 1597 and the relative significance of this statement has not been diluted by time, even though it often falls on deaf ears—don't let this happen to YOU!

Learners must understand that rational knowledge (that is valid, empirically derived, and scientifically tested knowledge) is and will always be the cure for ignorance and blind faith.

It is my firm belief that there is no realm or domain of reality that is off limits to the awesome splendor and imagination of the human brain. Ultimately, my aim as an educator is to instill in my learners a firm appreciation for learning and to express this learning in their day-to-day personal and professional affairs. I desire to facilitate within all of my learners the ability to seek knowledge, to critically and scientifically evaluate all aspects of reality, and to establish beliefs and values founded in reason and reflective doubt.

It has been demonstrated in research that a solid, quality education is key to a successful and happy life. Obtaining advance education is no longer a luxury. It is very unfortunate that getting a higher education in the United States is so financially draining for many people. Still, an advanced education is essential for a life that is stable, satisfactory, and generative. Other factors are also necessary for these characteristics of life, but possessing a quality education is certainly very high on that list. As an educator, I endeavor to aid learners in realizing that education is both intrinsically and extrinsically vital for a successful and happy life.

The ability of the human being to learn, to reflect on learning, and to improve strategies for acquiring knowledge are abilities that I cherish and do NOT take for granted. My own personal struggles with learning in childhood endowed me with a sense that learning should be continuous and dynamic or ever-changing. No one should ever be settled with the state of their current knowledge base. Knowledge ought to be dynamic—always changing, always progressing, and never settling until death.

To close, let me leave you with a quote that guides my thinking about all things:

"We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time". ~T.S. Eliot