Educational Philosophy for LTC (ret) James R.

Reed MSN, CRNA

My passion for teaching was first revealed to me when I was a medic on a US Army
Special Forces Team over three decades ago. The mission of the Green Berets, which is to teach
our countries friends and allies to free themselves from oppression, became my mission. I have
maintained that passion to help others by teaching throughout my long career as a soldier and as
a nurse anesthetist. My philosophy of teaching is an amalgam of all of my collective life
experiences, formal education, and career as a nurse anesthesia provider. In the way that I am a
product and legacy of those who taught me, those whom I teach are a reflection and legacy of
me.
I gain no greater professional or personal satisfaction than when I am engaged in helping
to mold others to be the best they can be. In the end, it is the product that I help to produce that
provides my continued motivation to educate others. I believe that teaching is an individual
calling and is a form of selflessness that is congruent with my entire lifes body of work to be in
service to others. I now fully realize this, and have the benefit of having the flexibility to pursue
the dream of becoming a professor of nurse anesthesia in earnest.
My belief is that most students learn best when all domains of learning are incorporated
into their education. I also believe the idea of how one teaches is as important as what one
teaches. It is the responsibility of the instructor to foster a goal directed learning environment
where students who learn in different ways, can actively build their knowledge and skills based
on their individual gifts and efforts. Sometimes this means assisting students outside of the
classroom environment to strengthen skills and critical thinking.

Recognizing that all students learn differently, instructors should be skilled to

accommodate a diverse group of learners to be maximally effective to the most number of
students. Integrating the diversity of the audience and coupling that with students life
experiences will also keep an instructor on target with the broadest of student populations. In
doing so, we allow talent to be tapped from sources that are the best representation of who we
are as a people.
Learning is not a static endeavor, therefore, it is my responsibility to stay engaged in the
act of discovery. It is not lost on me that to be effective as a teacher, I must continually strive to
make myself better by expanding my knowledge about nursing and nurse anesthesia. I believe
teaching is best accomplished when done in a dynamic fashion, in such a way that it instills
enthusiasm in the learner. I do not believe that human beings naturally rise to the occasion, rather
they fall back on their training. This is the primary reason as an instructor I focus on
fundamentals of what will be mastered, and over time, build upon them to mold and create
expertise.
Finally, caring and compassion for the student is a non-negotiable trait I believe all
instructors should possess. At the same time being caring and compassionate does not mean that
the upholding of standards of performance and academic integrity should be forsaken. These are
paramount to produce the quality required of the demanding profession of nursing and nurse
anesthesia. In the end the patients whom we care for and those our students care for benefit from
our collective efforts as the student-instructor team.