Philosophy of Teaching

Philosophy of Teaching

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Learning is life's goal. Regardless of success or failure, there is always learning.

Teaching is a privileged position. Core values such as integrity, honesty, humility and loyalty to the truth are the foundation of education. Teachers are duty bound to be objective, unbiased, and non-partisan. Teachers are duty bound to foster intellectual diversity and intellectual curiosity in their students. It is through different opinion, alternate analysis of fact, and argument and debate that the best ideas and answers are found. Teachers are much more than a master of a discipline or a "fountain of knowledge." They are guides, counsellors, motivators, and leaders for their students.

The job of teaching is not only to impart subject matter knowledge or provide answers to questions. Subject matter knowledge is the baseline. More importantly teaching builds a student's capability to learn. Teachers advance critical thinking. Teachers advance how to form questions and how and where to find answers. Teachers must inspire students to be curios and to want to continually learn.

Teaching offers students the opportunity to be empowered. Teaching offers students the opportunity to grow intellectually and professionally. Ideally, teaching enables the student to succeed in learning, for example when a student correctly answers a question, masters a subject, or "thinks for themselves". As the student acquires knowledge and the enhanced ability to reason and think independantly, the student feels successful. Success drives personal growth and a stronger sense of satisfaction and pride. The ultimate objective of learning is therefore the transformation of the student.

In order to create a yearning and passion for learning, teachers must create an atmosphere conducive for learning. The atmosphere should include key elements such as engagement, relevance, respect, and trust.

Learning is most likely to take root when students are personally engaged with subject matter that is relevant to their lives. For example, my son found algebra difficult. When we discussed that he used algebra every time he drove his scooter and estimated an arrival time