Educational Philosophy

Mr. Andy Pickles

I did not come to teaching by choice; rather, teaching chose me. Were one to choose, I wish to be a teacher , my concern would be how !irmly that decision might stand in the !ace o! trials that will surely come. I say, I did not come to teaching by choice . "ehind that statement # and why I enter this !ield now # are my twin li!elong passions$ helping others to achie%e and succeed in any way it is in my power to do . . . and mathematics. I made no career choice per se; I !ollowed my heart. My heart !or helping others learn new skills won out o%er my head that at !irst wondered whether others& !aith in me was well'!ounded, at the behest o! my pro!essor and other sta!! I acceded to the e(isting math tutor&s re)uest that I *oin him, and I began tutoring and # unbeknownst to me # began my new li!e in ser%ice to others. As !ar back as I can remember I ha%e lo%ed seeing others master something new; playing any part in that achie%ement is a *oy, and pure bonus. +i%id memories !rom childhood and growing up are o! trying to help my brother master a skill on his bicycle ,which had a comical, cartoon'like, i! un!ortunate result-, and o! sharing my lo%e o! skating with !riends and helping them in any way possible to learn and impro%e in their techni)ue. In my !irst employed position, right out o! school where I had taken certain computing courses # in the .//0s be!ore computers were )uite so completely ubi)uitous but sometimes posed a challenge to more mature workers # I struggled to resist helping when a co'worker was pu11led by how to make something work the way they needed it to ,on some occasions I simply helped, on others I was concerned to not be stepping on the toes o! the tech support team whose *ob it was to assist with computing issues-. And I don&t remember a time in my li!e when I wasn&t 2playing with numbers in my mind& at any absent'minded opportunity # including !inding mysel! making sums out o! car license plates as !irst my parents, and then mysel!, would be dri%ing me somewhere. My somewhat pu11le'oriented mind reali1ed during my semesters spent math tutoring in Paris 3unior 4ollege in 5ulphur 5prings that since I lo%ed math, lo%ed helping others, and the synchronicity held true as I !ound how much I lo%ed helping others with their math, there was a logical !ollow'through$ !ocus my college career

directly on mathematics, to de%elop those skills ,and gi%e mysel! also to learning how to teach better- to best e)uip mysel! to help others learn, through the medium o! teaching. 6his all seems sel!'e%ident when put down on paper # almost a truism # but it was !or me a real 2light bulb moment& and ga%e my li!e purpose. What greater purpose can li!e ha%e # and certainly !or a teacher # than to take what you ha%e, and know, and apply that in ser%ice and assistance to others7 My goal thus became to commit mysel! to leading students into their own 2light bulb moments&, as it had been my *oy to already witness so many times as those with whom I tutored would sit back in their seats and, with bright wide eyes, ha%e their 2A'ha8& moments o! reali1ation and connection. 9ew to the ranks o! people passionate to teach, it was time !or me to consider and learn all that is so critical to being a )uality educator$ ' ' ' ' ' How do people learn7 :ow can I best assist in and promote that process7 What about techni)ues7 6echnology7 ;i%ersity7 What is the purpose o! education in the broader sense7 What is the role o! the student7 What is the role o! the teacher7 In the classroom and in the community7 6he potential )uestions could be so many, but to begin with these and answer the last !irst$ the implication o! the )uestion is intentionally that the role o! the teacher has an impact beyond the !our walls o! the classroom. A community looks to its teachers; we hold some accountability !or the kind o! young adults the community&s children grow into and we should embrace that as an honour and a pri%ilege # and know it comes with distinct responsibility which should ne%er be !orgotten. While we should not usurp parental responsibilities in their raising o! their own children, guiding and shaping their characters, and leading them into being well'rounded and upstanding citi1ens, we ought to recogni1e the signi!icant part that a one third part o! each day ,and likely one hal! o! the students& waking hours- means we ine%itably play in their li%es. <or this reason schools and, by turns, we teachers should acti%ely engage our students in seeing themsel%es connected to society, rele%ant members thereo!, capable o! recogni1ing, analy1ing, and playing their part in sol%ing societal ills and working against in*ustice. Without absol%ing parents o! their right!ul roles, we should indeed work alongside them,

(Cooperative learning, Management techniques, Parental involvement)

together encouraging and promoting in their children # our community&s !uture # lo%e and respect !or themsel%es, others, and the world in which we all li%e. :elping, guiding, instructing the students to !ul!il an important part o! their role, namely to recogni1e their own importance, place, and %alue in this world, is surely the end goal o! school; with emphases on discipline, hard work, and respect !or authority, we teachers in concert with parents ha%e the task o! encouraging our young people strongly to commit, and gi%e, e%erything o! themsel%es ,reali1ing there are !ew rewards in li!e !or simply 2)uitting& when the mood !ails to striketoward their own success and to !inding that place o! their own # and to see that place as the most learned, skilled place possible puts point and purpose behind the hard'won education. Education in the most traditional sense teaches curriculum material to students %ia teachers. We as educators in the more modern age are blessed with %ast )uantities o! psychological, sociological, and educational research by which we are able to key in to the %arious learning styles, tailor and read*ust the necessities o! the curriculum with the hands'on, group'based, and=or 2acti%ities&=&!ield trips& type pro*ects, all to most e!!ecti%ely reach all di!!erent students o! all di!!erent backgrounds and all di!!erent learning abilities. 4hildren learn in a %ariety o! di!!erent ways, but learn best by being engaged and interested; changing up the teaching style will both be conduci%e to maintaining interest, and pro%ide opportunities to educate !irst %isually, then %erbally, then by more tactile means # and to thus keep the student&s whole brain engaged and gi%e those with di!!erent strengths each their own chance to shine. >ne o! the key challenges in our 5tate ,among others- is ensuring we most e!!ecti%ely help those among the student body !or whom English is neither a !irst, nor yet a !luent or e%en spoken, language. A signi!icant ad%antage with their being in an English'speaking school system is the 2total immersion& !actor that so accelerates language ac)uisition; group'work with its o!ten tactile nature and also its tendency toward %erbal interaction at a 2simpler& # yet still academic # le%el, also acti%ities, !ield trips and the like, all additionally create learning en%ironments based on so much more than language and yet also including so much bene!icial %erbal interaction among students. <or we teachers the blessings are mani!old$ all these studies and research results help us understand better how to e!!ecti%ely and e(pertly educate, and it all promotes an

en%ironment conduci%e to more o! the satis!actions o! witnessing those 2light bulb& moments in our students. "eing !ocused on the sub*ect o! math can be such a wonder!ul opportunity # the class will ne%er 2dry up& and ha%e no takers since it is among the core sub*ects # which can also mean classroom management is a skill to master. As one :arry Wong !re)uently makes plain$ procedures # routines # repetition o! the same # tends toward managed classes running smoothly and a good sense o! mutual e(pectation between students and educator. Math irrele%ance is a myth ,i! roundly debated at times8- # but that there are attendees o! our schools who claim no lo%e o! math re)uires an admission o! truth. <or a young person to be deemed success!ul at school and thus graduate they must ha%e a well'rounded education; there is a core o! %aluable material that must be taught, but some is !ar !rom !a%orite !or some o! the students. Part o! connecting with students that are less engaged with the work comes also !rom the alternati%e teaching methods discussed. Work that is more acti%e, more pro*ect'based and disco%ery oriented, more fun is more inclined to be a hook !or those that may e(press disinterest otherwise, and the result is simply more en*oyable class !or all, good opportunity !or learning, responsibility to teach all students has been !ul!illed, and di!!icult situations with uncooperati%e students ha%e been a%oided. And the material to teach7 Much as there is a %ariety o! teaching methods, some o! which are traditional and some !ar newer # the material ,which needs to satis!y curriculumshould always include the great )uality in!ormation that has been soundly established long ago, while also being open to newly'disco%ered !acts or methods. Again, as a math teacher, my intention is to create an en%ironment conduci%e to learning, establish the sense o! mutual e(pectation between us, set the procedures and routines, share the material, enthuse o%er it and in!use it with a sense o! ease # and, ?es, fun # and pleasure perhaps by something outside o! traditional lectures i! that is possible and appropriate. "y whiche%er mode o! instruction I run the class on a gi%en day my purpose will always be to return to where I began abo%e # ha%ing ensured the lesson !ul!ills the necessities o! being curricular, the manner in which I conduct the class I intend will always be to keep it ali%e, rele%ant to sel! and ' gi%en any and e%ery opportunity # let my pleasure in the sub*ect be seen and noticed and perhaps e%en ha%e a little o! it rub o!!8 I! my e(perience !rom student

teaching is anything to trust # e%en *ust allowing connection at the human le%el and letting the student know you care about them and their success I ha%e seen to pro%oke them to a little more engagement with task, and work more.