For a recent assignment, I had to write my philosophy of education. Here's what I said:
I believe that it is my responsibility as an educator to ensure students attain an understanding of not only my subject matter, but also the skills necessary to lead a successful life. This responsibility is much more easily stated than met; the many diverse situations in which it is presented places it on a plateau of seeming impossibility. And yet it must be carried out along a path wrecked by obstacles which appear on a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute basis.
The challenge set forward for the educator is gigantic in its proportions. Educators are to take the unshapen minds of tomorrow and carefully sculpt them to their fullest potential, the least of which will be evidenced by the student having the capacity to contribute to society in a meaningful way. The challenge would not be near as difficult as it seems if these minds were unburdened and free, but many children today have lives fraught with pain and unfortunate situations which create significant gaps students must learn to cross in order to succeed. Part of the educator’s responsibility is to engineer bridges which allow minds to leave behind a burdened state: bridges that give travel from a place that is inherently unmotivated towards an eagerness to learn.
And so the teacher fights the battle against a Goliath. It is battle which requires constant unbounded energy and optimism, hours of preparation, and daily discipline. It is a battle which, upon initial examination, can be easily underestimated (and just as easily lost if the underestimation is not realized). And while I have painted a bleak, desperate image of this undertaking, one must realize that the desired result can be accomplished.
Great teachers exist both past and present, so it is obvious the responsibility of instilling both subject matter and life skills can be met with outstanding success. Thankfully, it is no secret what is required of a teacher if they are going to be successful: it can be seen time and time again in the experiences shared in workshops and authored in books by triumphant, award-winning educators. It can be summed up simply as both a strong internal drive for students’ success that pushes the educator to work beyond the point where any normal individual would stop and, more importantly, a love for students that surpasses all obstacles caused by any educational system or student’s collective life experiences. When a great love for students flows together with a strong drive for individual success, it is astounding what can be accomplished by that single individual. It is this sort of mental framework that is required if students from any number of disadvantaged situations are going to be ushered into a position to reach goals only limited by their own imagination.
