Educational Philosophy 2022
I have taught 17-years in inner-city, suburban, rural, and a variety of international settings (26 years in education). My teaching has included English grades 6-12 and Personal/Social Education in the Ohio and Texas state curricula, the (I)GCSE (British Grade 9 & 10 curriculum), the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP), and the IB Diploma (DP). I also enjoyed being a thought-partner for the Colegio Roosevelt Innovation Academy and have collaborated a great deal with members of the IB PYP. Through all, I have taken the best pieces of these programs and people, adding the best attributes to who I am as an educator. Though I have recognized that the program does not make the institution extraordinary without a number of other key elements, the apparatus of the IB programs has most cohesively brought my own philosophy to life during my career. This passion has led me to serve 19 years in four IB continuum (PYP-MYP-DP) settings while also working as a workshop leader, author, and school visitor within the IB organization.
Applying my philosophy to how it often looks in a new school setting, I begin by asking a lot of questions, observing a lot of instruction and community-based activities, and approaching a new school as a curious learner. I am always enamored with the brilliance I find and firmly believe in honoring the work already completed as I focus on high-priority improvements. There are three targets: building a connected team, honing how we work best together, and empowering ourselves towards achievement of the school’s mission, vision, and action plan.
In terms of building a connected team, I prefer to work collaboratively with a team that helps me to grow while creating a sense of camaraderie, organization, and the excitement involved with doing something educationally extraordinary together. I also want to ensure that faculty members in my schools have the right colleagues, resources, time, and support to ensure all teams feel this way.
Great education starts in the day-to-day classroom with powerful instructional strategies and teacher-student relationships. Each lesson should start with knowing who and where students are to tap into their curiosity, interests, and prior learning. As the major challenge of a class period is focused upon, Social/Emotional Learning, Diversity/Equity/Inclusivity awareness, and other Approaches to Learning skills are key so a master teacher can differentiate and scaffold, giving everyone in the class access to success. Collaboration and feedback are essential and each class period should culminate with the teacher and student knowing individual progress and next steps. When designed well, these processes bring about the kind of motivation that transcends the need for restrictive classroom management strategies, though a clear set of monitored community norms helps learners to be focused and safe while learning how to overcome conflict.
In order to support a daily level of quality instruction, teachers must have time and support. Teaching is such a complex and magical process and there is a lot to be learned from one another. I have proudly brought educators together on large and small scales to share their craft and inspiration and know these symposiums create intrinsic motivation within the profession, leading to greater teacher retention. Key conversations each year include a Professional Learning Community sharing of tools and pedagogical expertise, explicit instructional coaching, standardizing assessment, analyzing internal and external learning data, and “Google time” or time to connect on an individual or group level on whatever is personally compelling.
One of my biggest draws to the IB PYP and MYP programs were just how well the programs of inquiry were organized to include a great many competing and important educational apparatus into learning experiences that build upon one another. As units and challenges are designed, a map is created that illustrates a clear vision of what students can be expected to accomplish in each year or course, with aligned assessment data. Knowledge, skills, and conceptual understanding can be systematically built upon with an interdisciplinary view that allows for meaningful questions to be asked and answered from a variety of perspectives. Following IB requirements, assessment scores are not a blurred blend of effort, skill, and understanding. With a well-designed school assessment and reporting plan, teachers, students, and families using assessment and associated metrics will have a clear view of what a student does well and can improve upon in all academic areas. Coaching and training will help to identify clear trends and build empowering goal-setting conversations. With a clear view of their own learning, students acquire agency and the tools to overcome challenges that will serve them for a lifetime.
Not all students find empowerment and confidence in themselves in a traditional classroom and I have always spent a great deal of time ensuring that my schools have extra or co-curricular vehicles for developing the whole child. I started in education as a basketball coach and remember all too well the daily tracking, game and season statistics, strategies, conversations, and journaling that narrated team and individual growth throughout a season. As I entered the IB programs, I was able to connect education and service learning, helping Qatar Academy move from 0 to 60 student-led service projects with a visual year-on-year portfolio of helping the world that became a model for the IB Middle East-Europe-Africa region. Now working in a Title I U.S. school with far less resources than my overseas schools, I have still found creative ways to ensure that my students have ample opportunities for clubs, the arts, ally groups (GSA, EmpowerHER Hour, Black Student Union, and Hispanic Cultural Club), sports, and service. This was built despite roughly 75% of juniors and seniors working a part-time job to support their families. I have also always been a partner to the Arts, performing and producing plays, musicals, open mic nights, poetry slams, DP Visual Arts Exhibitions, and any event where student talents are shared and celebrated.
Finally, at key milestones, celebrations of learning should curate stories that demonstrate growth and mission achievement. This can be accomplished through a newsletter, student-led conference, digital portfolio, exhibition, performance, competition, or conference. I personally like celebrating on a global scale, having had my students present their digital portfolios at two global conferences, creating a national Personal Project Exhibition in the country of Peru, and building PreK-12 student-led conferences on multiple campuses. These celebrations have so frequently helped young people to define who they are, what they can do, and what they want to pursue in later life. Somehow, bringing a number of stories together helps to see growth more clearly and I have frequently received communication five/six years after graduation sharing how seeds were planted in early educational stages. I look forward to building similar stories of accomplishment and growth in my family’s next community as well.
