Idealistically Pragmatic

Idealistically Pragmatic

I have always been a strong believer in the power and value of education. However, unlike many who chose to teach, my interest and passion has not always thrust me in that direction. Nevertheless, I do consider teaching to be much more than just a profession, occupation, or job. I consider education to be a natural and inevitable part of life that I have had the great opportunity to be more involved with through teaching. My educational philosophy is a compilation personal beliefs as it relates to teaching and learning, students, knowledge, and what is worth knowing. As I considered my personal educational philosophy, I found, ironically, that my thoughts were both idealistic and pragmatic. The following is an examination of the above in the context of my professional and personal goals and values.

Teaching and Learning

             Teaching and learning are two of the most basic functions of life. From infancy, every person begins a journey into the world of knowledge and education. Initially, we focus on the information essential to existence. However, we quickly acquire preferences and appetites for information above and beyond what is needed for sustaining life. These preferences make each of us unique and exclusive. Over the course of a lifetime we all have the opportunity to be the student and the teacher in one regard or another. Those who actually chose to become formal teachers quickly realize that it is in that capacity that the most learning takes place.

Students

            Students are like clay in a potters hands. A teacher has such great influence over her students that she virtually determines what their outcome will be. For a formal teacher, students are those who attend their classes and institutions. However, in a less formal capacity, students are those who can benefit and learn from our experience, knowledge, intellect, and wisdom. While student are heavily influenced by the expectations of their teachers, they also have their own responsibility and role to play in their educational journey. A great teacher is able to find the motivating factor for each individual student and use it to draw the student towards success.

Knowledge

           The more knowledge we acquire, the more we realize that we don’t know much at all. Knowledge is such an intangible yet priceless asset, not only to individuals, but also to groups such as families and communities. Varying types of knowledge become useful in diverse settings. Most relevant is the sum of information that ultimately promotes health and wellness. In some contexts this may be academic or intellectual knowledge, in others it may be social skills or street savvy, in yet another context it may be familiarity with routes and terrains.  Whatever the context, some things are undeniably more worth knowing than others.

Worth Knowing

Knowledge certainly is power to the extent that it is applied to practice. The information that one acquires over time is the knowledge base that should be drawn from for decision making, critical thinking, and conceptualizing the world around. However, knowledge is most profitable when it is used to benefit others or facilitate some type of productivity. Each person holds a completely exclusive bank of knowledge based on their experience and perspective. Nevertheless, without application, knowledge is useless. Therefore, it is only the useful, timely, and effective application of knowledge that makes it precious.

My Philosophy

            My personal educational philosophy is made up of my values, beliefs, and attitudes toward education. I believe that the role of education and knowledge in each person’s life is paramount. I believe that formal education holds relative value, however, I also greatly value informal means of  learning. My views on the process are quite flexible, however, the value, importance, and in some cases urgency remains critical. My opinion aligns closely with both idealism and pragmatism. Idealism in the fact that I believe in  absolute truths. I believe that education proves most valuable and useful when established absolute truths are supported and acknowledged (Kauchak, 2005).  By observing this principal, we are able to avoid repeating prior research and mistakes as individuals as well as a society.

            Interestingly, idealism and pragmatism, in some aspects, actually may appear to be contradictory philosophies. However, as part of my own personal philosophy they work in perfect harmony, complementing one another. Pragmatism is reflected in my personal philosophy by placing equal emphasis on the content and the process of learning (Kauchak, 2005). I believe learners glean a great deal from simply  progressing through the learning process, in addition to the content itself.

Conclusion

          Our education determines who we are and become, as well as how we operate in every function of life. Naturally, each of us is born with an exclusive set of gifts, talents, and abilities. Knowledge and education are the boosters that catapult us from good to great, normal to exceptional, student to teacher. 

Reference

Kauchak, P., Eggen, P. (2005). Introduction to teaching: Becoming a professional

(2^nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.