As a teacher I was often asked my philosophy of education.  I used to be intimidated by that question but after years of considering, trial and error, and observation, I have decided that learning is like a coat rack.  I'm not talking about a dusty old closet where you throw your coat and slam the door, No, I'm talking about the old hand-carved wooden structures that were supported by four level feet and reached towards the ceiling with grace, decorated by curvy metal hooks at varying heights and on alternating sides.  Have you got a picture in your mind?  Now imagine hanging your hat on one of the hooks.  Now your scarf.  Now your jacket. The way I see it, our minds are like this coat rack.  Hopefully, we begin our learning experience at an early age and in such a way that builds a foundation, much like the feet on the coat rack.  This foundation keeps us stable because no matter what happens on top you can count on 4+4 always equaling 8 and a noun always being a person, place, thing, or idea.  We need this foundation to be strong and equal in all areas. As we grow as learners and individuals we develop hooks.  For example, when I was in high school Mrs. Goade made me memorize a list of prepositions on page 180 in our grammar textbook.  Why?  Well, I didn't know it then but that would become an important hook that I could hang more complex information on as I continued to learn.  Prepositions might seems unimportant, maybe not even hook-worthy, but to me, a foreign language teacher they are vital.  Not only do I need to be able to find them in a sentence, but I also need to know their function and meaning.  If I didn't have the hook from 9th grade, then I wouldn't have had anything on which to hang the French and Spanish versions.  As we think about education, it is helpful to evaluate whether a hook exists or not.  How far back must I go to effectively teach this material?  If I proceed where there is no hook, will the student truly grasp the concept?  It's doubtful.  What happens to the coat rack if you pile things up on one side only?  Unless the foundation is wide and strong, it will come crashing down.  We see this with students all the time.  As educators, we have a responsibility to make sure that students have hooks on all sides.