Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Ventura County Community College District; Trustee Area 3

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Parker Palmer in his book "Courage to Teach" tells us that good teaching can not be reduced to technique. Good teaching rather comes from the integrity of the teacher. He emphasizes, "Students and the act of learning are more important than teachers and the act of teaching." I discovered my philosophy during my twenty-five years of teaching. I have learned that I am the servant of learning and that the exercise of power is a needless action. I have abandoned the illusion of control and have entered into a partnership with my students: I am interested in their success. If I make a mistake, we all delight in pointing it out. I do not believe students can learn when the instructor teaches from a fearful or ego place.

In addition to the concept of authority I have also learned that students are the marginalized people of our society. They often lack power in the classroom. They have learned that there is safety in not speaking. I have learned to peak their curiosity, to give them hope, to recognize their accomplishments, to show empathy and to operate honestly.

Methods, however, remain an important by-product of the integrity of the teacher. They conform to it and help shape it for all of the students. I remember my first class: I had three times too much material. I raced through my points giving the students no opportunity to ask a question. Through the years I have studied the methods that can be used to enhance learning for both the adult learner and youth. Learning Disabled students have different needs. Students more proficient in a language other than English are challenged by many modalities.

How do you treat a student as an individual while teaching the concepts to all? My philosophy is to learn about each student as an individual. You have to also determine which students are auditory learners and which are visual. I have learned to rely on a pre-class student survey. This is a mini-student profile that divulges student educational and life goals, past classes, and classroom preferences. I interview each student separately on the first day of class using the survey as a springboard for discussion. The manner in which the student writes narrative, for example, may tell me about English and thinking skills.

In the classroom I have learned to follow Walt Disney's advise, "Attack them with all five human senses." Throw candy to a student who has a correct answer, bring in guest speakers, always write important points on the board for the visual learners, constantly alternate between dyads, triads, and small groups to keep it interesting. Ask the more advanced students to lead the class. I start each class with a to do list. This allows latecomers to quickly catch up since I check off progress.

My philosophy comes down to this:

Stewardship is the choice to preside over the orderly distribution of influence. Everyone has influence in the classroom. The teacher may be the facilitator but we are all learners.