Educational Philosophy

As we all know my brothers can be a bit... how shall I put this... dumb as a sack of hammers. As Xena has asked several times, how is it I am part of this family? Well that question remains strong in my mind. This weekend just continued this thought. As we were talking I brought up that some elementary schools have toyed with or have cut their science programs for K-5. My brother thought this outrageous. I agreed and then he said I would cut band before science. Yes he knows I teach music. I said really we shouldn't cut anything. He followed with "But don't you think there are some completely useless classes?" I said "No but there are some completely useless teachers in all subjects." He then went on "Well, what really is a humanities class and what good is it?" Instead of engaging I rolled my eyes and got up. I did say as I was leaving "I could explain but you wouldn't get it." This banter would have ended until he said "I got through a 4 year degree program without a foreign language." I countered with "I got through a 4 year program with one semester of a science, but I don't think that was right." But whatever.

It did get me to thinking that my view on education is completely different then most peoples. I really feel the best teacher I ever had was my High School Physics teacher. The reason he was the best was because I really feel his goal was not to teach me physics but to be responsible, diligent, the ability to think critically and a laundry list of skill that are not physics. Physics was his vehicle to teach me all these other things. That is how I approach my subject or at least I would like to think I do. Because if they learn something about music bonus but I want them to learn how to get this knowledge themselves and how to be better people.

For me it's not all about the subject. It's about a greater message and to give the students the ability to learn on their own as well as the joy of learning. Which is why I feel all subjects have value and that every class can be bad.

But let's just say I still think my brother is an idiot.