Last week I asked, “Why don’t we ask, Why more often?” I was referring specifically to education reform (or the lack thereof).
But how often do we only consider the What, When or How of what we do on a day-to-day basis?
In your area of work, do you stop to consider why you do what you do?
What’s the philosophy driving you?
philosophy(noun) – the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, especially with a view of improving or reconstituting them
For what it’s worth this is the opening salvo in my educational philosophy.
“I believe all children are gifted & talented and it is my responsibility as an educator to help them realise this. We need to empower kids to learn, first and foremost about themselves, and how they can forge a sustainable future for themselves, their family and their community.”
This helps me to keep the “Why?” front and centre of my work as an educator, which is sometimes easier said than done.
I think you raise a good point about talking about the ‘why’ more often. It’s defniitely easier said than done, but really important that we keep it in mind. I looked at my philosophy on my blog to see if I thought about the ‘why’ and found “I believe our students are our future. Each of our students has the potential to bring something unique and special to the world…A teacher has the opportunity to impact on students’ lives in a positive way…”
I also believe that this strongly links to reflective teaching. In order to continually learn and grow in our profession we must critically think and ask ourselves ‘why’ on a regular basis. I wrote a post on it not long ago if you’re interested http://tinyurl.com/7strf4s.
Hi Ashley thanks for stopping by.. I’ll certainly check out your blog post. Thanks for sharing.
Dan
Great point Dan. I just finished writing mine up that really made me reflect on what and how I want to teach. And now I want to keep it in the forefront of my mind so that everything I do will reflect my values and principles. My beginning quote is – “You can do this. I will help you. I won’t give up on you.”
Thanks for continuing to ask the right questions and provide me with an insight into a great teachers mind.
That’s fantastic Stephen! What a powerful message to give your students, and their parents.
Thanks for stopping by!
D