My Educational Philosophy

I remember having to write about my educational philosophy back towards the beginning of my undergrad career.  I was having trouble trying to find it on my home computer until I realized that my educational philosophy has naturally changed since I was an undergrad.  If it hadn’t, then I probably wouldn’t be here today, a grad school student about to start a career in one of the most challenging educational environments in the country.  When I was an undergrad I believed that the purpose of education was to mold students into professionals, ready and willing to compete in a global marketplace.  When I started thinking about the implications of this theory, however, I realized that it reinforces the false parameters of success that have been set in this country.

In my last job I worked as a vocational rehab specialist for a not-for-profit organization, helping youth with disabilities gain competitive employment in their communities.  Professionalism was always part of the discussion when I sat down with my students and performed various job development tasks.  Whether we were filling out applications, getting ready for interviews, or browsing job postings, I was constantly trying to reinforce the idea that a professional is someone who is constantly focused and constantly learning.  And that’s the key: someone who is always learning is always adapting.  Someone who is always learning is always growing.  Someone who is always learning cannot possibly be unsuccessful in life because he/she will always find a way to rise above any obstacle.  This should be the very simple job of educators: to transform our students into lifelong learners.

This takes numerous shapes throughout a student’s development and there are countless ways we can assess it.  One simple way is college.  On the surface, a student who chooses to enroll in college shows a desire to rise to the top of his or her chosen field and make considerably more money than someone who does not go to college.  But beyond that, this student shows a desire to continue learning.  That should be the reason we encourage students to go to college.  We should no longer reinforce the idea that success is defined by things like net worth, employability, and what kind of high school you can afford to send your children to.  Money does not bring happiness and therefore should not factor in to our discussion about what defines success.  Success should be defined by an innate desire to learn, among other things that have nothing to do with finances (Like physical health... which is why we need Phys. Ed.! But that's another topic).

Now, I realize it seems kind of anti-climatic to write this huge blog post about my personal philosophy of education only to come to the conclusion that the purpose of education is to make students want to learn.  That probably seems fairly obvious.  Then again, if everybody in the education field truly believed this philosophy, would we have as many problems with the educational system in a huge city like Chicago, full of countless free resources and opportunities to learn?  I doubt it.  Too many teachers teach without much care as to whether their students are actually learning anything, or whether they even WANT to learn anything.  That’s why I’m sticking with this seemingly very simple philosophy.  I want to keep learning for the rest of my life, and I want to instill that same desire in my students.