Philosophy

1.  Faithfulness: My Declaration of Faithfulness To Education  
The  words compassion, justice and common good quickly come to mind when I consider my faithfulness to my calling to teach.
  • I believe that every child that I meet has the right to be heard and that it is not for me to judge any one on his or her human condition.  I have an active desire to alleviate the suffering and potential thereof of any child due to a lack of education and or skills. 
  • I desire, at all times, to be cross culturally sensitive.  I will attempt to be free from prejudices and preconceptions about other cultures and take time to research and learn about the students in my care.  
  • Summum bonum: The common good literally means, not yours, not mine, ours. The Com­mon Good strives to promote active par­tic­i­pa­tion in a democratic classroom community through the free exchange of ideas and dia­logue. It seeks to find ways to bridge students together by promoting tolerance and acceptance for differing points of view.  I am ded­i­cated to helping students find­ com­mon ground through Paideias and Project - Based Learning and to encour­age the civic engage­ment so essen­tial for a thriv­ing democracy.  
2.  Skillfulness: My Declaration of Paideia Principles
I was first introduced to the Paideia Principles in 2001 (Paideia (py-dee-a) from the Greek pais, paidos: the upbringing of a child), while teaching at Forest Glen Middle School, Coral Springs, Florida. Although I am not officially a member of the Paideia Group, I have intentionally adopted these principles and personally find them to be both sound and of the highest level of integrity. The Paideia Principles are as follows...

• that all children can learn;

• that, therefore, they all deserve the same quality of schooling, not just the same quantity;

• that the quality of schooling to which they are entitled is what the wisest parents would wish for their own children, the best education for the best being the best education for all;

• that schooling, at its best, is preparation for becoming generally educated in the course of a whole lifetime, and that schools should be judged on how well they provide such preparation;

• that the three callings for which schooling should prepare all Americans are, (a) to earn a decent livelihood, (b) to be a good citizen of the nation and the world, and (c) to make a good life for one’s self;

• that the primary cause of genuine learning is the activity of the learner’s own mind, sometimes with the help of a teacher functioning as a secondary and cooperative cause;

• that the three types of teaching that should occur in our schools are didactic teaching of subject matter, coaching that produces the skills of learning, and Socratic questioning in seminar discussion;

• that the results of these three types of teaching should be (a) the acquisition of organized knowledge, (b) the formation of habits of skill in the use of language and mathematics, and (c) the growth of the mind’s understanding of basic ideas and issues;

• that each student’s achievement of these results would be evaluated in terms if that student’s competencies and not solely related to the achievements of other students;

• that the principal of the school should never be a mere administrator, but always a leading teacher who should be cooperatively engaged with the school’s teaching staff in planning, reforming, and reorganizing the school as an educational community;

• that the principal and faculty of a school should themselves be actively engaged in learning;

• that the desire to continue their own learning should be the prime motivation of those who dedicate their lives to the profession of teaching.
—The Paideia Group

3. Scholarship: My declaration of taking a reflective approach to teaching and learning
Scholarly teaching involves taking a scholarly approach to teaching just as we would take a scholarly approach to other areas of knowledge and practice. Scholarly teachers view teaching as a profession and the knowledge base on teaching and learning as a second discipline in which to develop expertise. Thus, scholarly teachers do things such as...
  • reflect on their teaching
  • use classroom assessment techniques
  • discuss teaching issues with colleagues
  • try new things
  • read and apply the literature on teaching and learning in their discipline and, perhaps, more generally.
Scholarly teaching is closely linked to reflective practice (e.g., Brookfield, 1995; Schon, 1983).

4. Courageousness:  “Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.” ― Parker J. PalmerThe Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life

I will...
  • teach wholeheartedly, as my trueself
  • work with integrity. 
  • teach with passion.  
  • ask questions and create a space for oneself among others in the workplace to share wisdom, knowledge, and to learn together.
  • cultivate student trust. (Children do not learn from people they do not like.) 
5. Leadership: My Declaration to Practice the 5 Principles of Exemplary Leadership
  • Model a Way
  • Inspire a Shared Vision
  • Challenge the Process 
  • Enable Others to Act
  • Encourage the Heart by showing appreciation for individual excellence and creating a spirit of community in my classroom.