"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education."

— Martin Luther King Jr.

My Teaching Philosophy

As a pedagogue, my educational philosophy is a rich mix of theory of education, all supplementing an academically rich learning environment, structured, intentional, and life-altering.

I believe that the learners are not only to learn what texts contain but also profoundly engage in the environment of living things to gain skills, attitudes, and wisdom for attaining competence as ongoing learners and effective active citizens.

From the behaviorist perspective, I realize how important clear expectations, routine, and positive reinforcement are. I also realize that students respond to structure, and I use this as a foundation to promote effective classroom behavior and a safe climate in which learning can flourish.

Simultaneously, I'm also a strong proponent of experiential learning, that students learn through doing—hands-on, project-based, reflective experiences connecting classroom learnings to students' own lives. One does not watch learning; one lives learning.

As a reconstructivist, I think that education must take students beyond questioning the existing order, thinking critically about the world's problems, and discovering ways in which they can make the world more just and equitable. My pedagogy practices include discussion, compassion, and activism, equipping the students to excel academically and lead with purpose.

I also think, on perennialist principles, that eternal ideas and universal truths have value. I want my students to wrestle with great questions, classic literature, and moral argument so that they have a rich intellectual and moral foundation that will stand them in good stead in all aspects of life.

Lastly, I hope to carry the book further. Gaining academic knowledge is necessary, but I wish my students to be curious, creative, emotionally aware, and critical thinkers. I believe that education is not just the transmission of information; it must create a desire to know about meaning, create character, and make students conscious of how they belong in the world.

" Teacher Audie"