TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:
I believe that the path to self-actualization for all learners—students and teachers alike—is better travelled in dialogue with those who challenge us to always recognize….sometimes celebrate….and sometimes redefine our own paradigms. I believe that growth and reflection are possible in the midst of divergent voices whom you trust.
Personal growth and structural change that advances the common good begins with curiosity, is sustained by disciplined responsibility, and manifests itself when each person recognizes how their own unique talents can make a difference in the lives of others. Only through an emphasis on perspective seeking, wrestling with complicated issues, and faithful reflection will students harness enough intellectual horsepower to discern their world and change it for the better. Thinkers and good teachers dwell on questions that generate solutions or creative alternatives, rather than answers that affirm the status quo. Every teacher shares a responsibility to encourage that kind of thinking at different points throughout the school year.
A word from former Pomfret Student Body President Rachel Godfrey Class of 2015....
"Diffusion of responsibility.
Pluralistic ignorance.
Inclusive Fitness.
The concept of diffusion of responsibility illustrates an individual choosing not to act because they expect others to do so.
Pluralistic ignorance explains the idea that “no one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone believes,” like if we’re sitting in a class and one person thinks they are the only one who is confused, so they don’t answer (but in reality, everyone is confused).
Inclusive fitness is the idea that we are more likely to help the people that are like us, in appearance or in thinking.
The importance of these three concepts is this: they all lead to inaction."
I wonder.....what does it look like for members of the Pomfret community to rise above these three symptoms President Godfrey observed in all of us?
I believe that the path to self-actualization for all learners—students and teachers alike—is better travelled in dialogue with those who challenge us to always recognize….sometimes celebrate….and sometimes redefine our own paradigms. I believe that growth and reflection are possible in the midst of divergent voices whom you trust.
Personal growth and structural change that advances the common good begins with curiosity, is sustained by disciplined responsibility, and manifests itself when each person recognizes how their own unique talents can make a difference in the lives of others. Only through an emphasis on perspective seeking, wrestling with complicated issues, and faithful reflection will students harness enough intellectual horsepower to discern their world and change it for the better. Thinkers and good teachers dwell on questions that generate solutions or creative alternatives, rather than answers that affirm the status quo. Every teacher shares a responsibility to encourage that kind of thinking at different points throughout the school year.
- I chose education because I believe in reciprocity. The young have something to offer us and we have something to offer the young. I believe that teacher and student can become better versions of themselves if they believe the other possesses wisdom they do not possess.
- I chose education because I believe in learning in public. Teaching gives me permission to think out loud, make mistakes in front of others, discover amazing truths in broad daylight, and model authentic listening in front of a crowd. I cannot teach if I am not willing to learn. And learning is messy. In the words of Parker Palmer, to learn in public requires that I walk a fine line between humility and chutzpah. I celebrate the moments when some students learn to walk that line as well.
- I chose education because I believe in potential. I cannot expect teenagers to possess unwavering self worth because I hardly had any at their age. However, if teaching allows me to show I believe in them because I am challenging them, then I am modeling hope and the power of unlocking potential. In the words of Emily Dickinson, "hope inspires the good to reveal itself."
- I chose education because what is most current is not always most important. Although skeptics might consider the teaching of history irrelevant to our present lives, I contend that learning history is one of the most valuable exercises in empathy. Reverend Clementa Pinckney once said, “Across the South, we have a deep appreciation of history -- we haven’t always had a deep appreciation of each other’s history.” To learn history means to learn how different individuals remember the past. If I can invite all of us to better understand why two people might not agree on the past, then we can better understand why two people might not agree in the present. Civil discourse is more possible if two people have an understanding of history.
A word from former Pomfret Student Body President Rachel Godfrey Class of 2015....
"Diffusion of responsibility.
Pluralistic ignorance.
Inclusive Fitness.
The concept of diffusion of responsibility illustrates an individual choosing not to act because they expect others to do so.
Pluralistic ignorance explains the idea that “no one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone believes,” like if we’re sitting in a class and one person thinks they are the only one who is confused, so they don’t answer (but in reality, everyone is confused).
Inclusive fitness is the idea that we are more likely to help the people that are like us, in appearance or in thinking.
The importance of these three concepts is this: they all lead to inaction."
I wonder.....what does it look like for members of the Pomfret community to rise above these three symptoms President Godfrey observed in all of us?