my_anxiety

I figured that I would begin my blog with a little about my own philosophy of education. I wrote much of this years ago when I first began teaching at a boarding school in Rhode Island. What amazes me as I read it is that my philosophy has not changed over the years. Most of what I found exciting about teaching in private schools in my first year remains true today. I would love to hear from teachers, students or anyone who has ideas about education and the teaching lifestyle. I imagine this blog will take me in numerous directions, but for now, I hope this philosophy of education speaks to some of you.

“Everyone in born with beauty, both internal and external, but it doesn’t shine through until someone else recognizes it.” I can’t help but smile when I hear one of my students express their ideas so eloquently to her classmates. I’m sitting in my classroom watching my ninth grade students discuss the essence of beauty and its origins. The tables have been pushed to the side of the room and no notebooks are necessary today. Today the students must simply think for themselves, defend their position, and question everything they hear. We are currently studying Plato’s Protagoras in order to understand the Socratic Method of interrogation. The questions are flying around the room and each student is starting to formulate his/her own idea on the topic at hand. The bell rings, but they do not stop talking. “So what’s the answer, Mr. Boyd?” When I tell them that I don’t know the answer any more than they do, they say, “Cool!” and continue the debate on the way to their lockers. What a class!

The particular example encapsulates much of what I believe to be my educational philosophy. First and foremost, I believe students must be engaged, and if possible, thoroughly enjoy the material that they are studying. Studying Plato may be inherently interesting to me, but may not be each of my student’s favorite text. By finding ways of expressing the ideas of the texts in terms that the students can understand and with which they can struggle, the text becomes a tool for the expression of their own thoughts and ideas. The students have begun to take ownership of the material.

A discussion like that presented above assumes that each student has read the material carefully, but that is just the foundation of the class. In order for the class to succeed, each student must feel compelled to share their own ideas and to listen intently to the ideas of their peers. This seminar discussion format is the basis of my educational philosophy in the humanities. I believe that students who learn to listen well can express themselves more clearly, and that students who can organize their thoughts and share them in classroom discussion, can also clearly organize their thoughts on paper. In this way, the seminar discussion forces students to be prepared each day, but also gives them the daily confidence to express themselves, which will aid not only their participation but their writing as well.

Finally, the example gives a practical illustration of my three favorite words as a teacher: “I don’t know.” In my first years in the classroom, I believed it was my responsibility to know every possible answer to my students’ questions, and when in doubt, offer them a ‘best guess’ that they took to be the gospel truth on the topic. I have since come to realize that I am taking the same journey of discovery that each of students embarks upon when they enter the classroom. Certainly, I come more equipped than they, but each reading, no matter how many times I have read it, reveals something new. Each class asks new questions and brings an unique perspective to the material, forcing me to go into uncharted territory every time I step into the classroom. As soon as the students see me as merely a fellow journeyer or perhaps a guide on this path and not the all-powerful bearer of wisdom, they feel more comfortable asking questions and sharing their thoughts, which is the entire purpose of the journey.

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