Revised Educational Philosphy

The philosophy I adhere to is primarily realist with existentialist and re-constructivist sympathies and both an aversion and respect for pragmatism. Simply put, I am a bitter idealist who sees institutional and practical constraints as the brakes placed on the wheels of individual self-realization. My own education seems to come out of the idealist school. There was an emphasis on higher-level thinking, facts, ideas and the canon of knowledge concerning Western Civilization. These classics were taught to help students perform well on standardized tests that often cover such subjects. This also prepared students for university course work. The search for truth, focus on self-realization, character development and moral growth were possible because of the high stakes involved. The high level of education of the parents, the high average incomes of the households and the general trend for parents to strive to help their children with their educations meant this philosophy could be put into practice. The holistic approach was sometimes annoyingly abstract, but the point was to keep the students thinking. Students were constantly asked to piece together connections between factors after in-depth analysis of the subject matter coming from lectures, research and projects. I agree that the model is elitist, but I think the reverence for such institutions as Ivy League education, Oxbridge tuition and other prestigious forms of education shows that our societal model is inherently elitist. Though the approach is considered bookish, my high school instruction prepared me so well for university coursework that I was far ahead of my peers at A&M up until the fifth semester. What I see as ideal is existentialism, but there still exists the problem of helping children grow up to be functional adults who can adapt to the demands of society and market forces. In my teaching, I try to incorporate reflective and metacognitive thinking, but I remain focused on what affects their lives in the form of assessment and graduation. Because I believe some aspects of standardized testing can stifle creativity and infringe on the development of individual maximization of talent, I want to improve this by allowing for more student input and leadership. On the other hand, if students see school as a place to test boundaries, giving the students free rein can be a disaster. In theory I would love for my lessons to be 100% student-driven, but the problem is that by relying on their cues, I fear that I will be neglecting their testing needs. In sum I believe that financial constraints make idealism untenable for state-supported schools. Societal pressures and market-forces make instructing with the existentialist philosophy an act of defiance on the behalf of the teacher at the expense of the students’ futures. On the other side of my preferences are pragmatism and constructivism. I have taught high school and university students. Naturally-motivated students are not what I encountered every day. Though I support a general education and experimentation, students face tests that determine their future. Diversified education is a good thing, but time constraints must be considered. Personally, I think students should be in school until 8, 9, or 10 pm. The criticism that pragmatism rejects traditional values in religion, ethics, and society can easily be substantiated, but by not allowing students to question, we hinder the development of critical-thinking skills. Regardless of my preference for realism, I recognize the position constructivism currently enjoys. Though I do believe in multiple representations of reality, and see oversimplifications as horrible concepts to disseminate, the suggestion of creating “authentic tasks in meaningful contexts” is rather abstract and ill-defined. The collaborative construction of knowledge through social negotiation and not through competition runs directly against the grain of our mainstream society that prizes competition and individual perseverance. Re-constructivism to me is both essential for this country to heal its wounds and possibly the greatest threat to freedom of expression. The mark of a free country is the liberty to address the most controversial and divisive of topics with conflicting opinions given the same respect. Proponents of the opposing opinions must use logic and reason to reach a compromise of sorts or at least agree to disagree. Until this country lays out a codified list of state-sanctioned beliefs, correcting social ills can be very tricky. The attempt to eradicate discrimination and make amends for ignoring subjects deliberately to justify dubious assumptions about society can lead to equally tyrannical demands of conformity. Teachers focusing so much energy on convincing students of the need for change, and training them to be social activists, are making a very important decision for the students without anyone else’s consent. It is my understanding that parents, citizens, policy makers and politicians do not believe that teachers are in a position to determine the beliefs that students are supposed to hold. All the same, I strongly support instructing students to pay attention to world issues and read literature from around the world. This leads me to the philosophy I identify with the most, realism. Perceived logic can easily lead to incorrect conclusions and what we think exists does not always exist. In order to gain as much understanding while simultaneously taking into account limitations, realists attempt to be as objective as possible. Students are asked to deduce meaning from their observations and not to force previously conceived notions on the subject of their investigation. Students study systems, arrangements, order of processes and deduce theories about the relationships being observed. Watered-down courses waste students’ time, mislead audiences, and result in meek outcomes. School, like work, must be goal-driven. Though lectures seem to be out of vogue, I see lectures as productive because when people do not have a frame of reference for historical events, it is best to give them some background information. With students who reliably read, this can be done as homework. With students who are a bit more recalcitrant, lecture may be the only input they receive concerning the facts and figures. I try to use the teacher-centered classroom to mine as much student participation out of the students as possible. In my opinion, the best teacher walks the tight rope balancing a preconceived understanding of which directions the class should go and an ability to adapt to the personal needs and interests of the students authentically. The critics of realism state the realist approach is inhuman, mundane, rigid, scientifically cold, and inherently classist. It also purportedly fails to consider the totality of man and overemphasizes hard work and discipline. This is where my opinions come forth. I think our country needs a large dose of realism. As Americans, we face competition we have not seen since before the U.S. took its place as world hegemon. Our lifestyle, our status, our way of life depend on our ability to create the most innovative and effective system of education. We are at a turning point where either we work harder or lose more and more of our influence on the world. A great teacher cannot be defined in the way an acute triangle can. A great teacher is one who when allowed the freedom to create a wonderful learning environment without restrictions, fulfills his or her duties. This is a vague, but I believe you cannot quantify success for this profession. The various needs I had as a student, a child, an adolescent, and a young man were met at different times by individual teachers who have affected me greatly. My second-grade teacher never allowed me to lazily just coast through class. My high school English teacher helped me formulate reasonable and defensible arguments against ideas with faulty foundations. At the university level, I had a wonderful German professor who pushed me to work harder on my German even though I had never visited the country and was taking advanced composition. The wealthy will always be able to pay for SAT prep courses, private tutors, and astronomically expensive university tuition fees. It is the talent that lies in the muck of lower-class and middle-class mediocrity that needs to be nurtured and unleashed. The best teachers set the benchmark for what I need to become. The other teachers are the benchmark for what I should never become.. I want to help people the way so many good people helped me. I want to be someone who makes students feel comfortable exploring ideas instead of rehashing the same stuff. In lieu of my experience with the University of Texas, I want to be a teacher who remains loyal to his obligations by being a helpful mentor even when the district is about to start lay-offs, even when my coordinator is in a bad mood, or there are family problems at home. A professional, like a soldier does not allow these factors to influence his or her performance. Teaching and waging war are both in the interests of the entire population of a state. Thus a fitting synonym for teachers is warriors fighting ignorance and helplessness. I personally consider myself passionate, approachable, and willing to walk the extra mile for students.As a prospective social studies teacher, I want my students to learn that the black and white painting of the world they have been presented is a far cry from reality. I want my students to think for themselves, create their own opinions and most importantly be able to back up those opinions with logical arguments regardless if they resemble my own opinion. The goal is to help students stand by their assertions, yet be able to accept constructive criticism. Another goal in teaching history would be to make students recognize that their understanding of the wider world is riddled with huge holes in the hopes of prompting them to learn more and more. Many adults become complacent with ignorance. No one at the age of 17 has a firm and intricate understanding of the world. Only in the curious days of our adolescence do we care to find out more information. Upon receiving the never-ending list of responsibilities that accompany adulthood, many simply learn what they have to and call it a day. Teachers need to be able to adapt to thes ever-changing circumstances of today and avoid applying theories to entire groups with the justification that it is new and research-based. If the students want activities, give them the opportunity to enjoy their learning. If the class is not as interested and the group work is more of a experiment in cooperative learning than a genuine method of instruction, I will revert to what they know. Experimentation is great, but having been a student, I prefer not to be used as a guinea pig. It did not make me feel more respect for my teacher’s ability. It simply made me distrust the teacher’s sincerity. Working with glorified chalkboards, I find myself in a catch 22. We need to use more technology because the students do not respond the same as they used to. Bombarded by images, videos, podcasts and other blips, students need more technological interaction. The question is whether teachers have become sales representatives for Microsoft, Apple or other technology-based companies instead of distributors of knowledge. Realistically I have heard over and over again that we need to incorporate technology into the classroom. To appease these pressures, I try to be an informator instead of an automator. I want the addition to have a purpose and not simply be an exercise in teacher technological competence. Another pressing issue is to help students understand which sources are reliable and which are less than reliable. The technological addition has to help students cross the bridge to understanding. As a teacher, I need to be aware of changing trends, standards and norms. Time is always an issue in classrooms and if technology supports the biggest bang for their buck, then I use it. Facing the problem of educating our multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and class oriented society, I base my methodology around realism. I see the situation here in the United States tipping into an abyss most of us are not ready to accept. With the world transforming exponentially at a rate no generation before us can even fathom, change is essential. The question is what kind of change. When we consider the state of our nation and our species, whatever methods have been employed in the past have created the society we live in today. Far from perfect these methods need some alteration. The problem is when teachers obsequiously follow trends in education and neglect the actual work of educating. In my own teaching, I constantly consider how I compare to the most effective of my former teachers and the most ineffective of them. The most pertinent problem I face is that there is no precedent for the incorporation of technology. With this stated, I will stand on the sidelines and let the more dare-devilish of teachers do the experimentation, yet I will accept their findings and change my practices appropriately.