Educational Philosophy

By John Randolph

We live in a rapidly changing world, and one in which information multiplies and changes rapidly each passing day. In such a world, it appears to me that the old role of the 'wise teacher' who passes on knowledge is becoming obsolete. I do not think the best teachers of the future will be those who profess to be "experts'. I do not think the best students will be those who either try to soak in all they are told by a teacher or read in a text. I believe the best students will be those who are motivated to think and discover on their own, and the best teachers those who are motivated to teach students how to think and discover, as well as to want to.

I regard the role of a teacher more as one of a "facilitator", rather than a pedagogue. I firmly believe this is the only way to give confidence to a learner. I believe I do not need to pretend to know all of the answers, but that it is my job to make students believe they can find the answers. It is also my role as facilitator to make available every possible tool and resource that I can possibly find to reach every possible type of learner. It means asking more questions than I will ever give answers. It means concentrating more on stirring individual sparks of motivation aimed at producing self-directed learners, than it means orchestrating step-by-step units with an always-predictable conclusion. It means recognizing that every single student I will deal with is an individual and what achievement is for one student is very different from what achievement is for another. It means giving students choices in how to demonstrate achievement, celebrating success with them, and prodding them to achieve in yet another way. I believe that every child can learn, although all may not learn at the same pace or in the same way. Although every child cannot possibly meet exactly the same standards, high standards based on each student's ability should be held for all. It is my role as an educator to help my students learn to view those standards as a challenge rather than a negative, and ultimately to begin setting those standards for themselves, rather than having them assigned. These are not empty words, but describe my own meaningful experience as a music major, and the pleasure learning to set standards and work hard to achieve them has meant to me. It has made my role as a student much more meaningful, and I wish the same for my own students someday.