Developing a philosophy of education
Bit by bit, or post by post
I began my adult life, post-college, as an elementary school teacher. While attending college and training to hold that position, I was required, just like any other undergrad aspiring to be a teacher, to write my philosophy of education—sometimes referred to as a teaching philosophy. I don’t remember what I wrote, but I assure you it was generic, just like nearly all other college student who’d never taught full-time but nonetheless were required to write such a statement. Other than a logic class that I was wholly unprepared for as a freshman, I had never taken a philosophy class, thus had no clue how to write a philosophical statement. Such a course was not required and if it was offered, I don’t remember. Plus, it’s difficult to have profound philosophical thoughts about an occupation you have not yet held.
Fast forward to today. Long after leaving the classroom, I am attempting to develop—this time seriously—my philosophy of education.
Part of the function of publishing summaries in this newsletter on how the greats have viewed education and serializing historical works about education and its purpose is to help me develop my own opinions on the subject. I have argued (here and here) that the purpose—the highest purpose—of an education is to form flourishing, self-sufficient adults equipped to live in a free society. Now, I want to flesh out how one gets there. I’ve mostly written about what schools ought to teach and how they ought to be structured to achieve self-sufficiency and human flourishing as an end because the K-12 world has been the water I swim in. But I want to go broader, and I am making my way there.
For now, I’m sticking with working out the central role of education within a public school. So, here it goes.