I had the chance to interview Greg during the second set of
interviews. Although Greg did not specifically prepare items that reflected his
teaching philosophy, we quickly realized his personal life philosophy exactly
mirrors what he intends to bring to the classroom. Items included a basic
calculator, a Swiss Army Knife, safety pins, and gum. Each object enabled Greg
to be prepared for any situation that he encountered whether it be a mechanical
car issue or using gum to alleviate heartburn. Many of Greg’s items were
symbols of traits he finds valuable so as they were described, I attempted to
draw out more personal stories and thoughts as to how they became essential.
Greg described more often ideas that related to his life practices so I tried
to continuously ask how these would relate to his classroom or students.
Knowing that Greg is a parent, he has been enacting a teaching philosophy for
many years whether consciously or unconsciously by expressing values and
critical thinking abilities with his children.
Greg’s education philosophy can be summarized as that of a
tool kit. Every student should learn to equip themselves with basic tools and
skill sets so that they are confident and able to solve any problem they
encounter. Becoming an expert in the use of every fact or tool used in a
subject area, as well as knowing processes that they can be applied, a student
can diagnose and work through the set task. For Greg, students need to be
resourceful and rely on their own knowledge and skills. A sense of independence
and self-reliance is imperative. Understanding your weakness or insecurity was
also important for Greg as you are only able to better prepare yourself for
these situations if you are able to identify and work through these challenges.
Every person has an area in need of improvement, or something that will forever
be challenging, thus it is better to accept it and look for an aid rather than
deny and avoid the weakness.
To summarize, students must be able to extrapolate from what
they find in their toolbox and apply it in a variety of situations, but this
type of thinking is not restricted to the classroom for Greg. It is a
philosophy that has guided his life and that students can learn to adopt and
value as they move forward in their own paths.
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