Personal Philosophy
    A personal philosophy can be defined as beliefs, concepts, and attitudes a person may have. A personal philosophy should be the way a person wants to approach life. When creating a personal philosophy, a person should take into account four important questions: To what end? By what means? To what degree? Why? It’s important to have a personal philosophy when wanting to pursue the career of a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, working with students and other educators. 
    To What End? 
    I have two main objectives with what I want to accomplish in my life, and how I want to use my Family and Consumer Sciences degree. The first objective being to work for a non profit organization. One organization I have in mind would be Food Corps. Food Corps is an organization that travels to elementary schools to teach them the importance of nutrition, and how to eat healthier foods. They assist schools in growing their own gardens with a variety of fruits and vegetables. 
    My second objective is to own and operate my own cookie store. Using both the cooking and financial skills I will have with my FCS degree, I will be able to work with the public, and bring joy amongst them. I’ve always been interested in being my own boss, along with getting involved in the community, and I think that if I pursue my goals to teach and have a store I will do just that. I can incorporate knowing how to budget, pay bills, do payroll, and work on balance sheets into owning my own business. 

By What Means?
    There are three types of the learning theory: behaviorist, cognitive constructivist, and social constructivist. The learning theory has to do with the way students learn and absorb the information being given to them. I would consider myself to be a cognitive constructivist learner.
I am able to learn and comprehend information better when I am able to do hands-on activities, which is why I think I could be a successful working with Food Corps. When it comes to motivation, I like to set personal goals and motivate myself to accomplish them. I’ve used planners and charts in the past to help keep me organized and set goals for the week.
    When it comes to budgeting, I like to put my money into categories for how I will spend/save it. In the past I have put cash in an envelope that was designated to spending, and I would put the other half into savings. Using the envelope method has helped me a lot, and being able to spread my money out evenly will improve my future business. For future reference, I can see myself using the same methods I have used in the past because they have been successful and affective thus far. 
To What Degree?
    When it comes to measuring my effectiveness I would have professionals, come into my workspace and observe my teaching techniques and how the students work within the Food Corps Community. I would like for them to write notes and leave me comments on things that I do well, and somethings I could improve on.
    For my cookie business, I would measure my effectiveness by creating a webpage, or a social media page were my customers could leave reviews of what they think of my bakery and my cookies. I could also leave surveys in my bakery to have customers fill out anonymously and leave in a locked box for me to review later. 
Why?
    Being apart of the Family and Consumer Sciences community is a great experience that offers many opportunities for people of all ages. FCS offers opportunities for people to do hands-on activities that allows them to express themselves. When a student is making a dish, or sewing something new, it’s showing what they’re interested in and can even reveal a new passion. FCS can also help people step out of their comfort zone. Until they take a FCS course, some people may not know how to cook a proper meal and feel uncomfortable in the kitchen, but after taking a FCS course they may realize that cooking can be fun. 
    It’s important for me to develop my skills as a FCS professional because there are many FCS jobs that are in need of someone to teach and make students aware of life skills that are needed in the everyday life. I believe I can make the world a better place by teaching students healthier eating habits. A recent problem in America is obesity and I feel it’s because people are uneducated about how to eat, that doesn’t mean the world has to stop eating pizza and hamburgers, but knowing portion control, and healthier alternatives will help reduce the amount of overeating.         
    When I feel overworked and under appreciated, I will remember why I wanted to go into this profession. I wanted to go into this profession because I’ve always been passionate in cooking/baking, and also had an interest in child/human development. They say that if you do something you love and are passionate about, you will never work another day in your life, and I think that’s exactly what I’m getting myself into. I’ve also had an interest to be an educator because I’ve always like the school environment, and I was able to make great connections with my educators. I hope I am able to make a difference in the lives of students the way my teachers did for me. Since I was able to develop strong relationships with a handful of teachers, they were able to help me get through school and adjust to the next step in my life. I hope my students don’t just see me as a teacher, but someone who cares about them and wants to see them succeed in life. I want my students to be reassured that I will be there to help them in all aspects of life, and not just in my class. 
    This course has helped me realize the passion that I have for FCS, and that I want to continue to pursue this profession. Between the assignments and guest speakers, I now know that if you aren’t passionate about what you are currently doing, then you won’t be successful down the road, which motivates me to do my best and to have fun with each opportunity I experience.