Teaching philosophy
On management and leadership
It was Plato that
once proposed the idea of a universal education system. He envisioned a society
in which everyone received a basic education, and from there it was determined
their vocation in society. Though this was a radical view for its time to be
sure, it has become quite accepted today (though his version of it would still
be considered "over the top"). He believed that education made better
citizens, and he was more than a little right about that.
Education's primary role is to facilitate civic engagement first, and form new skills for specialization in a modern economy second. Within education there are the roles of the student and the teacher. On the surface it is the student's job learn and the teacher's job to teach. However, does this mean that their roles in the classroom end their?
First off I will say that we are all teachers and students, regardless of which side of the desk we place ourselves. Second that our role as teachers are not separate or outside of our role as citizens and the same goes for students. Most of my students will not be able to vote, hold public office, own a business, or perform services of the state. They are no less citizens and should be treated as such, we are preparing them to take those roles when they leave our classroom for the last time. I want them to self-advocate for their role in society, as they will be taking on the roles that shaped history as well.
My first step in classroom management is to throw out the term classroom management. As the late Colonel Dandridge Malone had said in his book on Small Unit Leadership; "You manage things, not people." Leadership and management are on a curve. As you ascend in rank you interact less directly with people, become more of a manager. To apply this to education: teachers are leaders, administrators are managers. This may be semantic, but I strongly believe that this is a root problem we face and have faced for a long time.
When I think of a manager, I think of someone with minimal training who stands over your shoulder and tells you to do something. When you ask them "how" they say "figure it out and get it done." Their normal response when they fail at something is to blame "the system" or say "I was just doing my job." I prefer classroom leadership; the idea that it is my responsibility to get them to reach a goal, and then go "through the fire" with them. You lead people; through shared experience and hardship, and through regarding their position under your stewardship.
Education's primary role is to facilitate civic engagement first, and form new skills for specialization in a modern economy second. Within education there are the roles of the student and the teacher. On the surface it is the student's job learn and the teacher's job to teach. However, does this mean that their roles in the classroom end their?
First off I will say that we are all teachers and students, regardless of which side of the desk we place ourselves. Second that our role as teachers are not separate or outside of our role as citizens and the same goes for students. Most of my students will not be able to vote, hold public office, own a business, or perform services of the state. They are no less citizens and should be treated as such, we are preparing them to take those roles when they leave our classroom for the last time. I want them to self-advocate for their role in society, as they will be taking on the roles that shaped history as well.
My first step in classroom management is to throw out the term classroom management. As the late Colonel Dandridge Malone had said in his book on Small Unit Leadership; "You manage things, not people." Leadership and management are on a curve. As you ascend in rank you interact less directly with people, become more of a manager. To apply this to education: teachers are leaders, administrators are managers. This may be semantic, but I strongly believe that this is a root problem we face and have faced for a long time.
When I think of a manager, I think of someone with minimal training who stands over your shoulder and tells you to do something. When you ask them "how" they say "figure it out and get it done." Their normal response when they fail at something is to blame "the system" or say "I was just doing my job." I prefer classroom leadership; the idea that it is my responsibility to get them to reach a goal, and then go "through the fire" with them. You lead people; through shared experience and hardship, and through regarding their position under your stewardship.