Modeled after John Dewey’s Pedagogic Creed is a statement of my philosophy of education:
ARTICLE I--What Education Is
I believe that education is a birth-given right to all individuals under the founding principles of the United States of America. This requires equal opportunity for all, regardless of any external factors. In terms of a formal education, a free education should be available to all individuals throughout secondary schooling. In some ways, education also occurs naturally as humans are always learning innately. As a whole, education extends far beyond the traditional K-12 classroom hours, academic curriculum, and assessments. Thus, the school system only partially encompasses the learning process. In this way, schooling becomes a subsect of one’s education. As John Dewey outlines, education begins by birth as beings are constantly influenced, stimulated, and challenged by the world they grow up in. The situations one is faced with, the people one is surrounded by, and the environment one lives in all serve to teach the individual in the same way that content learning takes place in the classroom. Yet, this is not to say that the individual is shaped completely by their educational experiences.
I believe that not everything a person becomes has been learned or indoctrinated in them in some way. Dewey describes that "the child has his own instincts and tendencies, but we do not know what these mean until we can translate them into their social equivalents." Thus, I would say that the development of the individual is by part nature and by part nurture. Clearly, true education spans every knowledge and skill an individual accrues. As a result, a proper education is one that balances and blends the academics of the classroom with the life skills of the outside world. Education serves as a process of one's present life, whereas teaching serves to prepare for the future.
ARTICLE II--What the School Is
I believe that the school is a safe space for students to grow academically, socially, athletically, and individually. This environment demands a relationship founded on mutual respect for both the educator and the student. Misbehavior in the form of physical or verbal abuse to any other individual in the school should not be tolerated. While education is a free right in this country, the access to such is still a privilege on the global scale. Students should be encouraged and made to enjoy the school experience. If not, it is the utmost poor reflection on the administration.
I believe that the school serves to foster learning both inside and outside the classroom. While curriculum standards are a must, the learning process should not treat students like objects to feed knowledge or test-scores on a piece of paper. Thus, the American education system should have some measure of progress and feedback when it comes to learning, but first needs to de-emphasize standardized testing and the pressures of such. Today, this has transformed from learners 'demonstrating understanding' to students learning how to be test-takers. Tests certainly should not be the central goal of any classroom, and far too often now students are not learning curriculum, but instead how to take a test. In my master’s research, I have found that the New York State switch to Common Core curriculum has significantly hurt students with learning disabilities and English language learners. Increasing exam difficulty serves no purpose other than to discourage students and create test anxiety. Students should be made to feel capable in the classroom, and it is the job of the teacher and the school to support such.
I believe that educational standards need to be more unified across the country. As content and learning standards are currently left up to the decision of each state, this does not seem to encompass equal opportunity in education. In fact, while a few states have adopted the Common Core standards, New York is one of the only states to actually implement them. The Ravitch text states that "the law they wrote said that every state should write its own standards, pick its own tests, and be accountable for achievement." There is no doubt that states vary in terms of resources and demographics, which ultimately reflects in the quality of high school education. With accountability at such a high value, the school needs to become a more centralized body.
ARTICLE III--The Subject-Matter of Education
I believe that when it comes to formal schooling, the subject-matter of education should be well-rounded and neutral in stance. That is, curriculum must encompass a wide variety of material, not purely the basic academic subjects. The role of high school need not only be to prepare for college readiness, as this is not the only successful path in life. Thus, students should be provided with a diverse education that allows them to pursue a multitude of careers or trades. All these avenues should be valued equally, as teaching is meant to prepare students for the future, which may or may not include college. It is evident that not every student learns the same, and that every student has different talents and passions. As a result, the school should teach students Home Economics, Finances, Auto-Mechanics, Cosmetology, etc., in addition to the traditional STEM, Humanities, Art, Music, Health, and Foreign Language.
I believe that teaching subject-matter extends far beyond delivering factual information to students. What students should be learning and who gets to make that decision is clearly a controversial topic, but at the forefront the issue creates an overemphasis on the accruement of academic knowledge in the school system. Again, it is quite naïve to define teaching by simply conveying information. Chomsky on Miseducation exposes a key issue in this topic, that in many ways teachers are restricted to impose "an official truth predetermined by a small group of people..." that leaves students treated simply as beings needed to be filled up with this knowledge. In my personal experience, I always think of the mathematics teachers I had growing up. The ones that took the class 'off the page' and demonstrated that they truly cared were the ones that always left students feeling encouraged by the fact that they enjoyed fostering learning. This is how subject matter should be conveyed, without rigid content pressures and an overload of assessments. In college, my experience has granted me courses where the professor has tailored the material to the students. Whether it be incorporating topics that I find interesting or cutting out a lesson that appears too challenging, academic interest is peaked when learning is not restricted to specific standards and ideas. This flexibility should define the education system at all levels.
I believe, however, that is crucial for primary and secondary education to have guidelines that serve to unify the academic experience for students at this level. In this case, some degree of uniformity is a must to ensure an even playing field for students with content exposure. Thus, I think it is quite important that New York State has content and learning standards for all of its regents courses, and that creating the common core curriculum was meant to shift students away from memorization and towards demonstrating understanding. However, simply creating standards is less than half of the battle-- without implementation, standards mean nothing.
ARTICLE IV--The Nature of Method
I believe that the act of teaching is one that serves to support and prepare students for the future. At the base, this requires the inclusion and instruction of all students. Differentiation then becomes the most crucial part of the education system. As is always reiterated, not all students learn the same, and it is the responsibility of the teacher to teach all students. Thus, the goal of the teacher should be to make every student feel capable and supported in their academic journey. No matter the means, no matter how much planning and learning strategies it takes, every student should be learning in the classroom. If a student walks away from a class saying things such as “I just am not math-brained” or “I am not good at writing,” this is a reflection that the teacher has not done their job. The Kirby paper states that "when questioned about inclusion, some teachers saw it as a privilege for students with disabilities to be included with their peers in the general education classroom," which is absolutely absurd. All kids living in the United States have the right to public education, and thus equal educational opportunity for all, so this seems to be the utmost violation of the foundations of teaching.
I believe that true learning is sparked from emphasizing the "why" along with the "what" and understanding that this is not fed by a simple "right" or "wrong." In Palmer’s The Courage to Teach, it reads that "teaching always takes place at the crossroads of the personal and the public, and if I want to teach well, I must learn to stand where these opposites intersect.” Thus, a proper education is one that does not take on bias or opinion but provides students with a well-rounded view of topics and solutions. Again, students are not to be indoctrinated, but rather given the tools to think freely. Eisner says, "the first thing a student learns is to provide the teacher with what the teacher expects." This extends further, as I would say that many teachers learn to simply provide students with what the state expects. An utmost example of this occurred for me in high school, when the common core was first introduced in a manner that forced my school year to end up with two regents examinations every year in mathematics. As if double the standardized testing was not enough, the teachers ended up teaching to the common core test during the school year, and then cramming the traditional curriculum in the week leading up to the regular regents. Once teachers learn to move past this curriculum crunch, students can actually begin learning.
ARTICLE V-The School and Social Progress
I believe that diversity in the classroom is a crucial asset to one's education. Growing up near the city and in the public school system, I had the privilege of receiving a diverse high school education. Although this may not be attainable in all areas, students should still be exposed to the cultural, financial, etc. diversity the world has to offer as much as possible. This, to me, ensures that education is not simply indoctrination and that students are not ignorant. Rather, students should be exposed to diversity and allowed to formulate their own thoughts and opinions.
I believe, as teachers, that it is our duty to advocate for all of our students. It is clear that this starts with educating ourselves, as I was not previously aware of how lacking and flawed special education policy is. The Greene article writes that "in 1970, before the enactment of the federal protections in IDEA, schools in America educated only one in five students with disabilities. More than 1 million students were excluded from public schools and another 3.5 million did not receive appropriate services." Thus, the education system needs to put inclusion at the forefront of its reform. There is no right or wrong way to learn, so all students must not be measured for success in the same manner. At the very start, the school needs to ensure literacy above all else. Without it, content cannot come into play. All students must be taught to effectively read, write, think, and speak in some form. A true educator understands that this is not a uniform process, but an individually unique expression amongst students.
I believe that the educator should strive to be a role model for students. When we think of who we want our children to learn from, there is no surprise that educators should have good character and morals. As kids are growing up, arguably in the most influential time of their lives, an effective teacher is one that instills their students with both academic knowledge and good values. All around, the students are the responsibility of the teacher. Students are to be protected, kept healthy, and academically fulfilled. The teacher, the administration, and the school should make every effort to create a safe, encouraging environment for individuals to grow in all aspects.
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