... is that, having decided to go full on into education, I must have an educational philosophy. Here it is:
I believe that every child
can develop into an independent, resilient, confident life-long learner.
My goal as an educator is to shepherd students through the development
of critical thinking skills by designing experiential learning opportunities
focused on problem-solving rooted in real world challenges. Through project-based, hands on exploration
drawing on students’ natural aptitudes, personal experiences, and individual
interests, I seek to work with students to construct their knowledge base. Framed by inquiry-driven dialogue and
reflection, this knowledge base fosters intellectual curiosity and creative
vitality to last a lifetime.
As an educator and school leader,
I seek to engender a diverse and inclusive environment that privileges equity so that students
and teachers experience a thriving, abundant ecosphere of ideas and
perspectives. This environment increases
educator effectiveness, undergirds student academic excellence, and prepares
the entire school community for today’s pluralistic world. Further, I regard the journey of artistic
expression as a core engine, driver, and vehicle for systems thinking and cross-curricular
enrichment that keep school fresh and rooted in how the real world works. Gathered over a decade of instructional,
community building, and executive experience, my educational philosophy is ultimately
directed toward increasing understanding to catalyze the capacity of students,
faculty, and a broader educational community to positively impact the world.
Developing critical thinking
skills is paramount because
these skills enable individuals to assess information and apply reasoned,
well-thought out discernments to decision-making. For students, these skills can aid in organizing
time or distinguishing the validity of research sources, in identifying the
correct answer on a test or in choosing the right college or job, and,
ultimately, in making good life decisions.
For educators, critical thinking skills support professional excellence,
autonomy, and mastery. An educational
environment that fosters students’ and teachers’ critical thinking skills is perpetually
stimulating, engaging, and sustainable.
Experiential learning
through problem-solving is key because
interactive experiences are inherently holistic opportunities for learning. When
a student invests their time, talent, and critical thinking to the process of
moving from concrete experience to reflection, then from conceptualization to
active experimentation, they travel the arc of discovery. In the process of engaging in the complicated
nature of real-life challenges, students encounter their strengths and understand
their challenges, and teachers can identify access points for many types of
learners.
These are the 21st
century skills that every student will need to distinguish themselves on college
applications and as young entrepreneurs or career builders. Every problem is an opportunity for a student
to develop independent research, apply academic skills to real-life conditions,
understand systems and design thinking, and ultimately, to recognize the need
for a potential businesses, non-governmental organizations, or policy
developments that can become a student’s life calling. Further, because solutions to current societal
challenges will rarely be static and will require on-going adaptation and
flexibility in our rapidly evolving technological and economic environment, independent,
resilient, confident students will have the intellectual curiosity,
determination, and creative vitality to sustain life-long success.
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