My philosophy of education has remained constant around the belief that students come first. Though the tools of the trade will continue to change with time, that core ideology will not.
In The Classroom
Putting students first requires me to use my knowledge and experience to gather and place essential resources before the students. It also requires me to equip students with the ability to gather those resources on their own.
Throughout my career, I have endeavored to develop lessons that allow the students to engage in as much active learning as possible. This allows students to take ownership of their learning and promotes my role as learning facilitator versus a purveyor of knowledge. In a classroom setting this often involves student centered discussions or hands on activities, with me monitoring the progress of groups and redirecting as necessary. While monitoring, I often ask more probing questions to enhance the discussion or apply the concept to other settings.
Everything has a purpose and must be done with purpose in the classroom. My goal is to make every effort to prepare for any possible stumbling block the students may face. Knowing these ahead of time better prepares me for any questions students may have and gives me the ability to redirect them in a way that allows them to discover the solution on their own. I believe that in order for students to truly learn the material, they must be more engaged with the information. If I am only lecturing or giving them answers to problems they will retain much less information than they would if they were actively engaged in the process.
I believe that classwork and homework should have a purpose as well. Simply giving assignments to fulfill a grade requirement or to keep students occupied is a senseless waste of the learner’s time. If there is little to no curricular or academic benefit to the assignment, it should never be assigned. Homework should enhance and reinforce the learning that occurs in the classroom. Homework can also expand the classroom activities by allowing the learner to dig deeper into the content or pursue related information.
Finally, I believe that I must always be flexible. If I am truly putting students first, then I may need to spend more time on one topic than previously planned to be sure that the students comprehend what is being presented. I may also need to move more rapidly through other content if students have sufficient prior knowledge. The root of flexibility in the classroom is grounded in knowing the audience before you. If an educator does not know his audience or know how to read the audience then his instructional endeavors will fail.
As an Instructional Leader
Putting students first involves much more. At the core of putting students first is building relationships with all stakeholders. This is centered around creating a positive culture that students, faculty and parents all desire to be a part of and no one wants to leave. This cannot be done without communication and effective communication comes from knowing your stakeholders.
I have always believed in servant leadership and do not want to ask others to do something that I have not done or would be willing to do myself. My goal as a leader is to lead through collaboration.
How would I accomplish this as a building or district leader? It would closely resemble this.
I would do my best to:
In The Classroom
Putting students first requires me to use my knowledge and experience to gather and place essential resources before the students. It also requires me to equip students with the ability to gather those resources on their own.
Throughout my career, I have endeavored to develop lessons that allow the students to engage in as much active learning as possible. This allows students to take ownership of their learning and promotes my role as learning facilitator versus a purveyor of knowledge. In a classroom setting this often involves student centered discussions or hands on activities, with me monitoring the progress of groups and redirecting as necessary. While monitoring, I often ask more probing questions to enhance the discussion or apply the concept to other settings.
Everything has a purpose and must be done with purpose in the classroom. My goal is to make every effort to prepare for any possible stumbling block the students may face. Knowing these ahead of time better prepares me for any questions students may have and gives me the ability to redirect them in a way that allows them to discover the solution on their own. I believe that in order for students to truly learn the material, they must be more engaged with the information. If I am only lecturing or giving them answers to problems they will retain much less information than they would if they were actively engaged in the process.
I believe that classwork and homework should have a purpose as well. Simply giving assignments to fulfill a grade requirement or to keep students occupied is a senseless waste of the learner’s time. If there is little to no curricular or academic benefit to the assignment, it should never be assigned. Homework should enhance and reinforce the learning that occurs in the classroom. Homework can also expand the classroom activities by allowing the learner to dig deeper into the content or pursue related information.
Finally, I believe that I must always be flexible. If I am truly putting students first, then I may need to spend more time on one topic than previously planned to be sure that the students comprehend what is being presented. I may also need to move more rapidly through other content if students have sufficient prior knowledge. The root of flexibility in the classroom is grounded in knowing the audience before you. If an educator does not know his audience or know how to read the audience then his instructional endeavors will fail.
As an Instructional Leader
Putting students first involves much more. At the core of putting students first is building relationships with all stakeholders. This is centered around creating a positive culture that students, faculty and parents all desire to be a part of and no one wants to leave. This cannot be done without communication and effective communication comes from knowing your stakeholders.
I have always believed in servant leadership and do not want to ask others to do something that I have not done or would be willing to do myself. My goal as a leader is to lead through collaboration.
How would I accomplish this as a building or district leader? It would closely resemble this.
I would do my best to:
- Build relationships
- Build trust
- Communicate clearly
- Develop a shared vision
- Never be content with status quo
- Establish a sense of purpose and urgency
- Promote critical thinking amongst staff
- Encourage a team/family mentality (Replace "I" with "We")
- Listen
- Continuously grow both professionally and personally.
- Move students and staff from Fixed Mindset to Growth Mindset to Innovator's Mindset
- Connect, network and establish partnerships internally and externally
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