Philosophy of Education: Part 3--Life, the World, Purpose, Meaning, Truth, and Values

What I believe about life, the world, purpose, meaning, truth, and values. 

In addressing the spiritual component of life and the world, I believe that the Holy Spirit can play a vital role in the lives of students (even those who do not know or acknowledge God) and that praying for them makes a difference.  If that is bothersome in the arena of public schooling, this should not disqualify me as a potential candidate teacher.  It shows a commitment to the whole student rather than a compartmentalized view of him or her as simply a producer of school work and potential peer in the work force.  It allows me to consider the complexities in their lives and the tools they may or may not possess with which to navigate and conquer their struggles.   I believe God can be shared without ever uttering a single word.  St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times.  If necessary, use words” (Brainymedia.com, 2010).

Since truth does exist and can be known, it makes the most sense that these things would be revealed in a systematic fashion and the Bible serves as a very likely source for that truth (Pearcy, 2005).  Having said this, I understand that some may not believe that a dead guy walked out of his own grave (Arnold, nd) or that there even exists a God who is capable of the things credited to the one in the Bible.  Though this may be the source from which I extract truth and values, I am not opposed to opening the door for students to embark on a journey of discovery for themselves. 

While there is not a philosophical school of thought that encompasses this point of view, it contains flavors of Neo-scholasticism for its undeniable claim that faith does have reason.  It is also representative of Plato’s assessment of truth in that what is true and perfect exists in another reality that very few will ever realize.  I do not wholeheartedly subscribe to Plato’s philosophy of Idealism I do however detect elements of biblical truth woven throughout.  There is a perfection that exists.  “Plato defined truth as ‘that which is perfect and eternal’” (Knight, 2006).  If we were to test Plato’s conclusion against the grid provided in Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity, “the Fall [of man]” could be described as an inability to recognize or acknowledge perfection and “the Redemption [of man],” according to Idealism is learning to trust in the pureness of ideas which translates to perfection and truth (Pearcy, 2005).  A note of interest is that Plato taught about 400 years before Christ was born (Knight, 2006).  Though he was most certainly not awaiting a messiah or a means of redemption of a people to their God in the Biblical sense, he practically describes one in his Allegory of the Cave (Knight, 2006). 

To sum up what I believe about life, the world, purpose, meaning, truth, and values, it would have to be explained as a compilation of Plato, the Bible, Thomas Aquinas, John Dewey, Existentialist practice, and having lived enough years to experience life at its best and at its worst with the knowledge that what can be seen and experienced with the senses is not all there is to know, but it is a good start!

References

                                   

Arnold, Christyanna, (nd), Student at Liberty University: writer of this paper.

Brainymedia, (2010), http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/st_francis_of_assisi.html,
             retrieved July 7, 2010.

Brockway, Jody (Producer) & Deyoung, Annie & Enscoe, Max (Writers) & Haines, Randa
            (Director), (2006), The Ron Clark Story [motion picture], Echo Bridge Home
            Entertainment.

Daniel, Eleanor A. & Wade, John W. (1999), Foundations for Christian education (Ch. 2),
             Joplin, MO: College Press.

Ginsburg, Kenneth R., (2006), A parent’s guide to building resilience in children and teens,
             Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

Hallahan, Daniel P., Kauffman, James M., & Pullen, Paige C., (2008), Exceptional learners:
            Introduction to special education, Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Knight, George R., (2006). Philosophy and education: an introduction in Christian perspective,
            Barrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press.

Pearcy, Nancy, (2005), Total truth: Liberating Christianity from its cultural captivity, Wheaton,
            IL: Crossway.

Schultz, Thom and Joani, (1993), Why nobody learns much of anything at church and how to fix
            it, Ch. 1, Loveland, CO: Group Publishing.

Slavin, Robert E., (2006), Educational psychology: theory and practice (Chs. 1 & 13). Boston,
            MA: Pearson.

Willis, Judy, (2009), What brain research suggests for teaching reading strategies, The
           Educational Forum, Vol. 73, 333-346.

Zondervan, (2009), Bible gateway website (Genesis, Daniel, Acts, Galatians),  
            http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=galatians%205&version=NIV, retrieved
            June 30, 2010.

Philosphy of Education part 2: Shaping Tomorrow's Leaders Today

Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

Introduction 

What is the purpose of education?  This is a good question because it causes one to wonder whose idea it was to create a process by which children would be systematically educated.  It would appear that the desire to pass the torch of knowledge to subsequent generations burns intrinsically within the heart of the human race.  The first known form of education is what is recorded in Genesis 2:15ff as God Himself taught Adam and Eve about their home and how to get to know the design and Designer better (Zondervan, 2009).  Later forms of education took place from parents to their children basically implementing the same values such as Deuteronomy 11:18-20 (Zondervan, 2009).  It is difficult to pinpoint when the first institution for education emerged among civilized societies, but there are many examples in history from the bible; from the Babylonian training received by Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel in Daniel 1:5ff (Zondervan, 2009), to Socrates (Daniel & Wade, 1999), to the school of Gamaliel mentioned in Acts 5:34 & 22:3 (Zondervan, 2009), to Jesus’ informal teachings throughout the New Testament (Zondervan, 2009), and into the history of the early church (Daniel & Wade, 2009).  From a humanistic standpoint, the crucial purpose of education may be to ensure that a nation’s children will become “lifelong learners[1]” and at least have the opportunity to take their place as “productive members of [a global] society[2]” one day.  In some communities, education may be reserved for but a few of the lucky and higher society children, but are the former the highest calling of the human race—to take one’s place as productive members of society as lifelong learners?  What values need to be passed from generation to generation?

If I had to narrow it down to just three important values for students to develop, I would have to say that they would include spirituality, community, and self-efficacy.  Spirituality is an important value for students because regardless of their faith or lack thereof they will either need to develop the depth of their own spirituality, or they will need to develop an understanding of why people around them are spiritual (and they are not).   They will also need to develop a sense of community because, regardless of their potential career, they will impact the community in which they live.  They may not even be aware of the consequences of that impact if they have not intentionally thought about it.  Finally, they will need to develop their own self-efficacy: their belief that they can and will make a difference to others and to realize the level of respect they have for themselves reflects the lengths they will be willing to go for their fellow man. 

Some would argue that there must be more to education than this.  What drives the perpetuation of this cycle?  A Christian could assert that the purpose of human existence is to both enjoy and be enjoyed by the creator.   Education does play a role in that endeavor since the human race was created in the image of God and since wisdom comes from God, a measure of wisdom about the world serves to enhance the human experience of truly basking in the intricate complexities of creation.  But regardless of one’s belief in God, systematic education serves to enrich, define, give purpose to and improve the quality of life among the population (Arnold, nd).  Therefore it must consist of passionate and creative teachers with a variety of educational philosophies who can create a thirst within the children to envision a better world because they are in it!  Following is my philosophy (Ginsburg, 2006).

---

[1] Many public schools in the United States include this phrase in their mission statements.  Rockford Public Schools in Rockford, MI, Pierce Public Schools in Pierce, NE, and Journey School & Public Charter School in Aliso Viejo, CA to name a few.

[2] Many public schools’ mission statements include phrasing about students becoming productive members in society such as Nyack Public Schools in Nyack, NY, Southfield Public Schools in Southfield, MI, and Lambertville Public Schools in Lambertville, NJ to name a few. 

References

                                   

Arnold, Christyanna, (nd), Student at Liberty University: writer of this paper.

Brainymedia, (2010), http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/st_francis_of_assisi.html,
             retrieved July 7, 2010.

Brockway, Jody (Producer) & Deyoung, Annie & Enscoe, Max (Writers) & Haines, Randa
            (Director), (2006), The Ron Clark Story [motion picture], Echo Bridge Home
            Entertainment.

Daniel, Eleanor A. & Wade, John W. (1999), Foundations for Christian education (Ch. 2),
             Joplin, MO: College Press.

Ginsburg, Kenneth R., (2006), A parent’s guide to building resilience in children and teens,
             Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

Hallahan, Daniel P., Kauffman, James M., & Pullen, Paige C., (2008), Exceptional learners:
            Introduction to special education, Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Knight, George R., (2006). Philosophy and education: an introduction in Christian perspective,
            Barrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press.

Pearcy, Nancy, (2005), Total truth: Liberating Christianity from its cultural captivity, Wheaton,
            IL: Crossway.

Schultz, Thom and Joani, (1993), Why nobody learns much of anything at church and how to fix
            it, Ch. 1, Loveland, CO: Group Publishing.

Slavin, Robert E., (2006), Educational psychology: theory and practice (Chs. 1 & 13). Boston,
            MA: Pearson.

Willis, Judy, (2009), What brain research suggests for teaching reading strategies, The
           Educational Forum, Vol. 73, 333-346.

My Philosphy of Education Part 1

Abstract

In an effort to isolate a personal philosophy of education, I began with a random list of statements beginning with “I believe . . .”   The result was a list of 22 statements that encompass what used to be loosely associated beliefs that I held about education and my role in it as a teacher.  This paper provides a treatment of the individual statements and how they work together to define what I think about life, the world, purpose, meaning, truth, values, educational theory and practice, philosophy of schools and learning, educational practice, teachers’ and learners’ roles and relationships, and diverse characteristics.  I found that my philosophy centers on how to teach students so that they take responsibility for their spirituality, their community, and themselves by incorporating in my teaching strategy Biblical principles, teacher role models, and personally held passions about education.

If You Don't Like the Way I Drive . . .

When I was younger—never mind by how much—I wasn’t known for my stellar driving skills.  In fact, it’s a wonder that anyone was willing to actually get in a car with me behind the wheel.  But I suppose, given the lack of any safer alternatives (read: other available teenage drivers), they really didn’t have much of a choice, did they?

I recall one morning having spent the night at my friend Heather’s house, we were on the freeway heading to school and I misjudged my vehicle’s ability to pass the semi on the left and make it back over to our exit on the right.  It’s a good thing the truck driver was paying attention.  And that Heather had a pretty good sense of humor.  Her mom must have been praying really hard at that moment!  There was another time I took out a deer on one of the winding backroads I preferred to the freeway (fewer drivers to hit, maybe?)  My car was forever affectionately known as The Deer Slayer from that moment on. 

One driving memory I try to forget unsuccessfully involves Heather again, in the passenger’s seat, mumbling her usual mantra, “Please don’t hit the curb.  Please don’t hit the curb.  Pleasedonthitthecurb!!” to no avail.  Smack.  I hit the curb and her head hit the window.  I’m amazed that not only is Heather still healthy and alive but that she still speaks to me!  (Thanks, Heather!)  

Then there was the time I successfully wrapped my future sister-in-law’s car around a telephone pole on an icy road.  It would only be a matter of time before someone would have a little talk with me about my driving.  And Heather’s mom came to the rescue.  She proudly presented me with a pin to wear on my future husband’s letter jacket.  It said, “If you don’t like the way I drive . . . stay off the sidewalk!”  Had Heather TOLD her?  Or was it more a mother’s intuition?  I’ll never know. But I realized my secret was out and I had better start figuring out this driving thing.

I was thinking recently about sidewalks and what kinds of metaphors can be drawn from their purpose and existence.  Deep—I know.  But really, they signify safety and organization.  They’re supposed to be an avenue where pedestrians can stroll unharmed at a leisurely pace.  But what good is a sidewalk with someone like me behind the wheel?  I think it may be time to return my “sidewalk” button.  Something happened shortly after the icy road/telephone pole incident—I somehow became a better driver.  Maybe I had just lacked the respect for the dangerous possibilities that arise any time a vehicle shifts into gear.  Maybe I lacked the maturity or instincts to respond appropriately to the conditions in which I was driving.  Regardless, I no longer wear the pin!  Even though I had a close call yesterday, I can proudly say that no deer has since been slain, no curbs have since been mauled, no friends have since almost met their fate as a result of me being behind the wheel.  So Patty, where can I send that pin back to you?  Or should I just save it for one of my kids?
(I wear a pink breast cancer ribbon for you instead.)

I miss September 11 . . .

[I've posted this every year since 2006.]

I miss September 11, it may seem strange to say

Before that last plane hit the ground

We became a new country that day



Before the sun had set that night on every US building

There flew our banner of defiance

Our symbol of freedom and unity



Thousands of civilians were commissioned as soldiers that day

To die for a cause they had never heard of

Telling their loved ones they'd be okay



And for a while we rallied and set our differences aside

We carried our torn and battered flag

Into the Olympic arena with pride



I can't believe that we're content to let so many die in vain

Turning on our own countrymen

Pointing accusing fingers in blame



I think if the victims could return. they'd have a speech to give

They'd remind us of their sacrifice

They'd remind us we still live.



I believe in their dissertation, they'd be compelled to offer

A reason and compulsion

To give God glory and honor



To invite Him back into our schools and courts

And quit fighting with each other

To remember what they've given up

For us their sisters and brothers



But here we are a half-decade later, a house divided at best

I wish it was again September 11

When we were America, we were united, and blessed!



© C.R. Alexander, September 11, 2006

Because They Earned Me a Scholarship

Just in case the review committee found them offensive or rough around the edges, I've kept these essays in my files with the intention to share them with you if I were selected as a recipient of the 101st ABN Association Scholarship.  I was notified today, so here they are.  Connor was also selected as a recipient.  Perhaps if you bug him enough, he'll post his essays as well.  


What it Means to be an American

                Perhaps the farther we get from our founding fathers, the less impressed we are with our designation as Americans. We’ve all seen on the news how citizens of other countries criticize our decisions and actions causing some Americans to become ashamed of our title. But how can we sum up what it means to be an American?

                The most poignant vignette of what it means was illustrated throughout the day of September 11, 2001 and the months that followed.  To describe what was taken would take more than 550 words.  Our sense of security was shattered.  More than 3000 lives ripped away.  And somewhere in the rubble surfaced the very definition of America.  

                It was in the words of Todd Beamer aboard Flight 93 as it was headed to destroy what is believed to have been The White House.  But Todd said, “Let’s Roll.”  We wish the story could have been happier for those aboard flight 93.  We wish her passengers could have known the impact those words would have on America over the next several days, months, years.

                It was in the words of then-president George W. Bush as he declared, “I hear you!” to the rescue workers desperately trying to find survivors in the rubble.  It is embodied in the chants of “USA! USA!” that followed.  It echoes in the stunning revelation of a Super Bowl commentator, “It’s like they blasted us back to the way we’re supposed to be” In response to the high level of sportsmanlike conduct among the players of the opposing teams as well as the fans.  

                America is and has always been a land of diversity.  In the weeks that followed September 11, we struggled to make sense of what happened and how to respond.  What to think of our neighbors and with whom we were even at war?  Our essence surfaced in questions about how to treat those of Muslim faith, when would we finally know the number of lives we lost, would our country ever be the same again?  And to answer the last question—NO!  We will never be the same again.  Something precious was taken that day, but I pray that as time moves on we can learn to dig back into the rubble and find the torn and battered flag to carry into the Olympic arena with pride!

                Because being an American means having a dream!  It means having a voice and using it without fear of inhumane consequences.  It means learning from the past and striving toward the future.  It means nothing is impossible!  And we are reminded of this each and every time the doors of Hangar 3 at Fort Campbell Army Air Field are forced open and small fraction of America’s military marches through them to the roar of a crowd.  

                This is what it really means to be an American.  It means to know the cost of the freedom we have because we have paid part of the price.  It means to understand that some will never get to march through those doors because they gave all they had in battle.  It means that we will always have to be vigilant and willing and grateful for those who fight because it is only in freedom that commands like “Let’s Roll!” can even be given.

Patriotism

As the mourners sat quietly in the pew for my step mother’s funeral in October of 2005, the preacher let his emotions settle down before speaking his next words. He was laying to rest a woman who had dedicated her life for the past 10 years to sending encouragement to our troops overseas—and to battling breast cancer. When she was unable to fill boxes and mail them herself, she would send family members with an address and wish list from one of her “boys” or “girls.”
She may not have been able to get out of bed, but there was no way a Soldier, or Sailor, or Airman, or Marine would go without a care package from her. And as long as people were willing to give her names, she was willing to have boxes filled and mailed to make the long time away from home more bearable.
My father was her sole caregiver in her final days. Their living room looked like a warehouse: filled with metal shelves that had been donated by others who wanted to help, piled with toiletries, candy, coffee, and other treats to make a service member’s day when mail call came.
“When?” The pastor wanted to know. “When did it ever become wrong to be a patriot?” He let the words hang in the air in that church in Corvallis, OR. He must have remembered Joanie waving signs on the street supporting our troops with hands that could barely hold them up or petitioning city hall for a veterans’ memorial and leaving in time for her chemotherapy treatment. Perhaps this is why my father, a Viet Nam era veteran himself, did not hesitate to have her buried in the Veterans’ Cemetery in the plot he had earned for the service he gave.

Dear Willie Nelson . . .

Dear Willie Nelson,

At the risk of sounding like Judy Garland at the beginning of her song to Mr. Gable—I am writing this to you.  And I hope that you will read it so you’ll know . . . but that’s where the similarity ends.  You didn’t make me love you or anything, though that would be far more romantic! I hope that you will read it so you’ll know that I spent almost my entire childhood convinced that you were a friend of our family’s! 

You may wonder how this could happen.  Well I blame my parents, of course! While other kids my age had parents who considered holiday music to be Handel’s Messiah or the current pop sensation’s (in my case this would have been the Carpenters’ or Carly Simon’s) Christmas album of ancient songs with a “new” twist.  Our Christmas music was almost entirely comprised of your record albums.  Can you imagine thinking that “Red Headed Stranger” was a holiday album?  Well I did! Don’t get me wrong.  They played their share of Mahalia Jackson in the days following Thanksgiving and on up to New Years peppered with typical Christmas music and Linda Ronstadt (I haven’t quite figured that one out yet.) But mostly it was Willie.  In fact I didn’t even know you had a last name until I was about ten years old.  And so every milestone of life that I can recall is time-stamped with one or more of your works, from Stardust to the Highway Men. 

I’ll never forget the evening a babysitter came to watch my sisters and me when I found out where my parents were headed: to Reno—to see Willie.  I asked if I could go.

“You have to be 21,” they said.

I was eight and totally confused.  I actually thought about calling you myself! 

Or how about the time my dad suggested I get a guitar and learn how to sing so I could call myself Nelly Wilson? 

“Willie would be proud,” he said! 

I totally believed him J I am pretty sure he even bought me a kids’ starter guitar at a garage sale that I have yet to learn to play (or find): Though I can carry a tune in a bucket—lots of tunes if the bucket is big enough!

Like most people, my childhood wasn’t perfect.  After my parents divorced, I harbored a lot of fear about the future and the world in general.  But you wouldn’t believe how just a few measures of hearing your guitar play would give me a sense of comfort and hope during the turbulent years.  It didn’t even matter if the song’s subject matter was about heartbreak and lost hope!  I’m not going to pretend that as a teenager, I rocked out to Willie cassette tapes with my friends!  They’re still shaking their heads over my obsession with Neil Diamond! Your music just had a magical way of transporting me back to a simpler chapter in my life—an era that the strains of your guitar and vocal melodies and harmonies subtly insisted would become an anchor for me.

Now that I’m 40 years old, I have learned that real comfort and peace come from a man who claimed to be God about 2000 years ago.  You called him “The Troublemaker,” which really confused me because in all the stories I had heard about Jesus, he was a good boy!  But in fact he did cause trouble.  He said it Himself, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword!” 

Upon learning that you were a famous musician sometime in the first decade of my life (I wasn’t known for my astute sense of observation back then), I’m sure I didn’t take it quite as hard as the news about Santa Claus.  But since, I’ve come to appreciate that I may not be the only lost child to have mistaken reality from fiction.  I’ll tell you this much—I wouldn’t change it for anything!  I still love to hear your songs.  I love to watch my teenage boys listen to your music with renewed appreciation.  I’m proud of our oldest who is working on a music performance degree (though I doubt he’ll use any variation of your name as a stage moniker).  I know my help, hope, and anchor come from the Maker of Heaven and earth!  (I just didn’t want you to feel responsible anymore.)  And now that I’m old enough, maybe I can catch one of your shows in the near future J

Sincerely,

Christyanna Banana (Conn) Arnold