Teaching Philosophy

If I'm ever asked about my teaching philosophy, there are a few things that I hope that I remember to say. It rarely happens--or I should say, almost never happens--that anybody asks, though. They ask about class sizes, or SAT scores, or homework loads, or grades, or something like that. I tell them the class sizes are below average, the test scores are above average, the work load is more than you think, and the grades, well, that's a mixed bag. And this seems to satisfy them.

But they almost never ask about your philosophy when it comes to teaching.

If anybody does ask, though, I hope I'll tell them a few things. I hope I'll say that I believe that technology should never drive curriculum. I certainly don't oppose the use of available technology when it can enhance teaching; in fact, I see many ways in which technology can benefit teachers and students. But I don't think that we should change the way that we teach students based on the latest new-fangled gadget. And, historically speaking, they're all new-fangled gadgets. Unless, of course, you're referring to that pen in your hand or a piece of paper.

I hope I'll say that I don't think that available resources or facilities should drive curriculum. These things may be obstacles to getting the work done, but they should not alter our goals.

And especially if it's a parent who's asking, I hope I'll have the nerve to say that parents shouldn't drive curriculum, either. The parent who entrusts his or her child to me should do just that--trust me with the education of the child. Truly, I am not really here to explain methods, or to rationalize, or to make anyone feel better about the way I do things. I am here, however, to do my best to teach kids. And while I'm willing to do a great deal to that end, to give a great deal of my life to that end, I sometimes begrudge the time I have to spend in explanation, especially when it's about the short-term. Parents should be concerned about the long-term education of their children, and they should trust teachers with the short-term decisions that lead to that long-term result.

I hope I'll say that all people need time to rest, that the balance of work and rest is an important one to find. Coaches are careful not to over- or under-train their athletes, and teachers should be similarly careful. Students, like all people, need time to rest; otherwise, the work can lose its effectiveness.

I hope I'll say that teachers should deliberately give students alternative ways of seeing the world, giving them the means to critique their own society (even their own views) by having a vision of other ways of living. Teaching which simply reinforces the dominant attitudes, politics, and culture accomplishes little.

And when people ask about test scores, I hope I'll say that test scores, while valuable in a limited way, are not the goal of education. Well educated people, as a group, will score well on standardized tests. A high score on a standardized test, though, is not necessarily an indication of a well educated person.

Perhaps above all, I hope I'll say that grades should not be valued more than learning. I know it's not a popular thing to say in education, but to be honest, I don't care much about grades. I do care about personal growth. And where grades offer some measure of personal growth, I support them. But too often, they don't. I think we should all--teachers, students, parents, administrators, government agencies--focus less on grades and test scores as the products of a system of education (that is, as salable commodities) and focus more on the personal growth of individual students.