Introductions?

I’m not usually one for spelling out personal philosophies, big artist’s statements, or things of that nature. I’d prefer to let what I say and do speak for itself and let you tell me what it means. As a child, I avoided identifying myself as part of any clearly defined group (goth, punk, nerd, prep) because to me that implies that you have to think and act a certain way. At the very least, it forms preconceptions in other people as to how you might think and act. What if I didn’t want to act that way anymore?

If I say that I only stand for teaching philosophies X, Y, and Z, everything I say from that point forward is inevitably passed through the lens of whether it meshed with what I said I stand for previously. I don’t want that lack of freedom. So as I try to lay out what I stand for as a teacher, I am doing this more to help me than I am to tell you, because the simple truth is I don’t know yet what I stand for as a teacher. I have plenty of thoughts, feelings, ideas, and snippets of an overall philosophy, but nothing fully functional or even fully formed. So when I say what I stand for, it should not be considered concrete, as it might change by the year, by the week, or even by the minute.  If there is one philosophy of mine that I hope does not change it is the recognizance of the changing nature of my thoughts. I don’t ever want to “know it all”.

So: What do I know, or at least believe, right now? I know that I am a technology teacher. I know that it is easier for me to say “shop” instead of “technology” to tell other people what I teach, and I know that this fact frustrates me greatly. I know that I just finished my first year as a teacher. I know that I received satisfactory evaluations by my administrators, but I don’t believe I did a satisfactory job. I know that my students learned a lot this year, but I don’t believe they learned the right things. I believe there is a better way for students to learn. I know I am going to find it.