Teaching Philosophy

My desire to pursue doctoral-level studies in urban education leadership related to my varied professional experiences. For me, those who understand how to navigate “social systems” have the responsibility to ensure the creation of institutions and the enactment and enforcement of strategies focused on the equitable distribution of resources. One such strategy is to create a system of education where each student’s success, irrespective of age, is of paramount interest above all else. Personally, my teaching philosophy supports this belief because it centers on the Socratic Method – which espouses all knowledge is contained within and through a dialogical series of questions and answers, the student reaches a point of critical thinking and unearths the answers (i.e., knowledge).

As noted in my statement of goals submitted with my graduate school application, my involvement with Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy (a charter school) sparked a yearning to discern what might cause some academic models to realize student achievement and success and others to frequently stop and reboot in order to produce a large increase, if any, in the same. Through that experience, I have been emboldened in my belief that education occurs through a process of active learning and differentiated instruction. Utilizing efforts to engage students actively may see their individual passions rise to the forefront. This would mean, however, there should not be a push for a “one size fits all” model of teaching. Students should receive an Individualized Education Plan mapping out a series of dialogical engagements and supplementary experiences to provide a range of in and out of classroom experiences. This plan would continuously evolve during the continuum of a student’s pedagogical life.