Educational Platform

My educational philosophy is a marriage of personal experience and ideas passed down from great philosophers throughout history. Because the world is constantly changing and because the students I serve will always be unique individuals with varying needs, I cannot explain what an educator should do. I can articulate how an educator should be guided. An educator must focus on their own performance and growth so that they can better help students discover themselves. An educator can only be measured on the lifelong impacts they make on their students, the most important of which is to develop curious life-long learners.

Augustine said to “accept your imperfection, this is the first step to perfection.” Knowing that I cannot be a perfect educator means I have flaws and I can always improve. Committing to a life as an educator also means committing to a life of self improvement. An educator must live as a scholar-practitioner, focusing their effort both on performance of their duties and improvement of their skills. Aristotle called the “Golden Mean” the place between two extremes. In education these extremes are the present and the future. An essential habit of the professional educator is devoting equitable time to the students you can help today and professional development that will let you better help students tomorrow.

Plato said the purpose of education is to help bring about a world in which individuals and society are moved as far as they are capable of moving toward the Good, a position echoed by Augustine if you replace ‘Good’ with ‘Truth.’ A problem is that ‘Good’ can be fleshed out differently for everyone. I want my students to be good people and to be happy, but I can’t tell them what will make them so. What I can do is form relationships in which I help them discover themselves and develop the skills and knowledge that will help them along their journey of self improvement.

I am a teacher of science but I am more importantly an educator of young men. I care about my students’ development, not just their acquisition of knowledge about the natural world. John Dewey felt that the most important attitude that can be formed through education is the desire to go on learning, which I wholeheartedly agree with. A student’s education cannot be measured today because all that matters are those changes which last throughout their lives Just as I hold myself accountable to my future students, I also am responsible for the future of my current students. A test grade today is worthless compared to the attitudes my students have about the world tomorrow and all the days following.


          Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a fierce advocate for experiential learning. Following Rousseau’s teachings Friedrich Froebel started kindergarten in the 19th century as a time for children to experience the natural world. His emphasis was on encouraging the curiosity of children to help them maintain an enthusiasm for learning. My job is to continue Froebel’s work. I want to help students develop and maintain youthful curiosity. If I do that for each student, I can be sure that a lifetime a learning will follow.

Formal Research Papers

My Philosophy of Education and its Application to Science Instruction
First Amendment Rights of Teachers: How Technology is Blurring the Lines
The Differences Between Male and Female: Why Equal Can't be Equal
Using Student Voice for Selecting and Integrating Technology to Promote Scientific Engagement