Philosophy of Education
My philosophy regarding education is fairly simple and yet seemingly atypical in 21st Century American educational
system. It is my strong belief that all students should be considered a consumer of education, not its victim.
While some might think the term ‘victim’
is too harsh. I submit that as a former child advocate and a parent, I can provide witness to more than one occasion in which
a student’s input was given the least weight when discussing his or her education and future. Education
has many stakeholders, as we well know. States have a stake in education for
the procurement of federal funding. Teachers and specialists have a stake in education to provide employment. Parents have
a stake in education since schools have become the central venue for socialization, education and nutrition of their children.
The community as a whole is a stakeholder since tax money goes to pay for nearly all of the services offered through local
schools. All of the adult stakeholders in the realm of education have a far greater
level of input than the students themselves.
By changing our perception of education,
as a high-quality service to be voraciously consumed by ravenous intellects, we will shift the paradigm of educator-imposed
education to student-driven education. Most teachers would agree that students
who buy in to the process of education are far easier to teach than disengaged students. What better way to engage than to
offer currently divested and disregarded students a seat at the table in which important decisions about them are made? Does it not serve the needs of individual students to actively participate in both
the design and implementation of the educational process? This, I believe, empowers
students to be more invested in the learning process by being part of the teaching process, constructive learning at its best!
To achieve this massive paradigm shift
requires some serious evaluation as to the very goal and purpose of education. To wit, do we desire to turn out students who
are critical thinkers or do we desire to indoctrinate a new generation of mind-lazy robots who can only regurgitate some of
the information we choose to impart? Obviously, this approach serves
no larger societal purpose. Perhaps it is the hubris of the young and uninitiated, but philosophically, I like to believe
that the function of education is to teach youngsters how to think rather than what to think.
As Benjamin Franklin said, "genius
without education is like silver in the mine." Even the brightest, most promising students need guidance and mentoring
to make the most of their talents and abilities, otherwise their treasure remains hidden behind the walls of ignorance.
Engaging students, encouraging free-thinking, creating an environment that fosters curiosity and exploration, essentially
guiding education rather than imposing it, are the most important tasks of the kind of educator I long to be.
