I believe the children are our future . . .

Now that I have the proper song stuck in your head! My philosophy of education boils down to a simple idea that is a constant challenge. Oscar Kwageley said it with inspiration when he responded to Delpit about the purpose of education: "The purpose of education is to learn to die satiated with life." Delpin continues "...We need to bring to our schools: expereiences that are so full of the wonder of life so full of connectedness, so embedded in the context of our communities, so brilliant in the insights that we develop and the analyses that we devise, that all of us, teachers and students alike, can learn to live lives that leave us truly satisfied." Although I say that I am satisfied with never being satisfied (because life never really plateaus), I think it is important to celebrate the 'aha! I got it!' moments. Allow me to go on a tangent and come back to being inspired, I had a lot of connections to the text from both a student and teacher point of view.
I remember the moment I stopped learning, or at least cared to apply myself so deeply into a project because I did not get any feedback from my experience and didn't seem to change anything. I never really felt a part of a community and moving from a big city to a small town, just felt like an outsider. When I think back I think about how I was never really asked to think and when I did, it was not really acknowledged. I don't know for sure but I think that it was not so uncommon of an experience. I never really understood how some could live seeing another suffer while others live so 'high in the sky.' It still perplexes me but now I understand a little bit more about how institutions have always broken down cultural heritage in order to utilize the people as a resource. How can we take back our communities and cultural heritage if there are no resources?
I am really rethinking my philosophy of education and coming up with deeper questions that address the inequalities that are the big elephant in our schools and society. How can I really make a difference? What is to daring to attach to a resume? I want to say that I am going to stand until all of my students have a good grasp of the content and have built a strong classroom community but it also depends on the rest of the school climate and frankly, most schools just cannot handle the stress of so many students with so few resources. It is no one person's fault but how do these issues get addressed? How can one school have so much more and another so little? Am I setting myself up for failure by taking a position at a 'failing' school? What philosophy will be applicable when institutionalized racism is so prevelent? I am so happy that our cohort has been able to build community and trust. So, in a way I feel safe and inspired but I have been out there and it is not easy for an 'outsider' to navigate when so many social cues can be missed or misinterpreted. Some of the things I have experienced are so shocking to my system it is hard to reply to. I would like to make up a role playing game about that: how to respond to institutionalized racism. Now that I have the proper song stuck in your head! My philosophy of education boils down to a simple idea that is a constant challenge. Oscar Kwageley said it with inspiration when he responded to Delpit about the purpose of education: "The purpose of education is to learn to die satiated with life." Delpin continues "...We need to bring to our schools: expereiences that are so full of the wonder of life so full of connectedness, so embedded in the context of our communities, so brilliant in the insights that we develop and the analyses that we devise, that all of us, teachers and students alike, can learn to live lives that leave us truly satisfied." Although I say that I am satisfied with never being satisfied (because life never really plateaus), I think it is important to celebrate the 'aha! I got it!' moments. Allow me to go on a tangent and come back to being inspired, I had a lot of connections to the text from both a student and teacher point of view.

I remember the moment I stopped learning, or at least cared to apply myself so deeply into a project because I did not get any feedback from my experience and didn't seem to change anything. I never really felt a part of a community and moving from a big city to a small town, just felt like an outsider. When I think back I think about how I was never really asked to think and when I did, it was not really acknowledged. I don't know for sure but I think that it was not so uncommon of an experience. I never really understood how some could live seeing another suffer while others live so 'high in the sky.' It still perplexes me but now I understand a little bit more about how institutions have always broken down cultural heritage in order to utilize the people as a resource. How can we take back our communities and cultural heritage if there are no resources?
I am really rethinking my philosophy of education and coming up with deeper questions that address the inequalities that are the big elephant in our schools and society. How can I really make a difference? What is to daring to attach to a resume? I want to say that I am going to stand until all of my students have a good grasp of the content and have built a strong classroom community but it also depends on the rest of the school climate and frankly, most schools just cannot handle the stress of so many students with so few resources. It is no one person's fault but how do these issues get addressed? How can one school have so much more and another so little? Am I setting myself up for failure by taking a position at a 'failing' school? What philosophy will be applicable when institutionalized racism is so prevelent? I am so happy that our cohort has been able to build community and trust. So, in a way I feel safe and inspired but I have been out there and it is not easy for an 'outsider' to navigate when so many social cues can be missed or misinterpreted. Some of the things I have experienced are so shocking to my system it is hard to reply to. I would like to make up a role playing game about that: how to respond to institutionalized racism. One would be:
what to say when an ASL (American Sign Language)teacher tells a deaf Mexican student that her first language (Mexican sign language) is not really a language, that she does not know two languages (ASL and her native language)!

Anyway, on another note:
It is fascinating to me to watch a student apply a new concept. To really apply oneself deeply to learning, a safe, respectful and compassionate community must be created. I realize more and more that the only real grades that should be given are constructive criticism and feedback when the child is ready for it. Praise needs to be honest and direct, body language can say so much without an utterance. My philosophy of teaching always incorporated the multiple intelligences and positive discipline, I now see it shifting to a deeper exploration of multiple intelligences. Deeper? Well, I want to really listen not only to what learning style is best for each student but echo their language and create more dynamic conversations by honoring what's in each child's 'backpack.' Instead of so much constant positive phrases, I want to add more positive non-verbal communication. I have sought to be inspirational as I am usually inspired by some book I am reading or person I have met. . . I want this idea to take precedence and maybe add that to the wall: a list of what inspires the students and teachers!

My philosophy bare bones is the courage to change my teaching style to meet the needs of a student, the serenity to accept the things that are already in the child's 'backpack' and the wisdom to listen and reflect on what I am learning every day.