Teaching Philosophy
The teacher, writer, and philosopher Amos Bronson Alcott once said, "The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. He inspires self-distrust. He guides their eyes from himself to the spirit that quickens him..." Alcott's writings often suggest that it is not enough to simply fill a pupils head with facts to be regurgitated on command, but that it is essential that they are given the opportunity to question the knowledge stream and to engage in their own critical thought. This allows them to move beyond the lessons foundation and to formulate their own conclusions, furthering the educational dialogue between instructor and pupil. By providing students with the essential framework for an area of study, we can further encourage an examination of its relevance and give them the ability to become architects of their own learning and thought exploration. In this case, inspiration comes not from the memorization of names and dates, but from the understanding of the power, use, and significance of the overlying subject. Alcott also mentions that a teacher must not allow his own personal influence to greatly alter the students' conclusions. In teaching, my interest is to become a transparent guide through the educational journey. If I have communicated my knowledge and demonstrated all of essential tools of the subject, and furthermore inspired an interest and excitement that will persuade the pupil to fearlessly take hold of the wheel and navigate further into the depths of the subject; then I have succeeded.
