Several years ago, when I decided to change my career path from that of a sales executive to that of an educator, it was not an easy task. It essentially required starting a new career from scratch. But I did so because of my love of knowledge and learning. A love that had been instilled in me by my parents and the many wonderful teachers I had had over the years. I knew that as my parents and teachers had once guided me it was now my turn to help guide others. And so, a mission was formulated. A mission to use my passion for knowledge and learning to help young people acquire the knowledge, skills and emotional intelligence they would need to realize their own potential. In order to see my mission succeed, I knew I had to rely on my guiding philosophy as to the nature of education. I brought this philosophy into the classroom as a teacher for ten years. When the opportunity arose to serve as a school administrator I jumped at the chance. Now I could apply my philosophy to more than my immediate students but to an entire school. Of course, the question I needed to answer was what would be the most effective way to do so? The answer I arrived at was based on my experience as a teacher. I knew that the key to being a successful teacher relied on staying true to my philosophy and on my ability to create a great class.