|
|
My Philosophy
As educators, our first and only essential priority
is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn – period.
Regardless of our official role, or title, whether it is parent, teacher,
aide, administrator, counselor, therapist, or doctor, our eyes and our
actions should be on that one priority as we meet our daily
responsibilities. Too often, amid the hype of educational “business”,
educators (and others who influence education) lose sight of what is
important and flounder in the resulting chaos – and children lose.
I know all children (and I do mean ALL) have the
capacity to learn. I have seen it happen in my own classroom and that of
many other teachers. We carry the responsibility for creating the
environment in which such learning can occur. In an ideal world, that
environment would have empowered teachers, informed parents,
forward-thinking administrators, involved service providers, and a
supportive community. We do not live in an ideal world however, so each of
us must take what we have and use our talents to make it better. No
excuses. We all have talents. We must
create the vision of what we believe and remain rooted in that vision even
when life gets in the way.
In a particularly troublesome time during my teaching
career I realized that I had lost my vision. From that difficult time, I
developed My Daily Canon. This
is my vision, my stronghold as I work with teachers, administrators,
parents, and most importantly, children. The canon brings me back to
center when I need it. I hope it provides for you a glimpse of what I
believe and how much hope I have for the future.
My Daily
Canon
We must hold
ourselves accountable for the very best education for each and every
child.
We must value
and measure the success of every child.
Words and
actions alone are not enough; we must adjust the structures and functions
of our schools and represent these changes in all philosophical, actual,
and symbolic practices.
This is no
simple task. It is an experience that will take us a while to recover
from, once it is over.
But the changes
to our lives, and the lives of all children who come into our schools as
ambassadors of the future, will be richer, and most importantly – honorable.
|
