The philosophy I liked the least was the philosophy of Larry D. Spence. I really disliked the overall tone he had with the statement. To me, it came across as kind of cocky. “The principles I have at hand today are chipped and worn by the practice of years,” is a statement that, to me, indicates a bit of overconfidence combined with an unwillingness to change. As demonstrated later throughout the statement, when he “never ask[s] for student evaluation of [his] teaching,” you can clearly see that he is set in his ways. This was my reaction:
(I’ve been waiting for an excuse to put a grumpy cat meme into a blog post this semester…)
I’m sorry, but to show contempt for constructive criticism in ANY profession, not just teaching, makes me want to scream. No one is perfect, no teaching style is flawless, no matter how long it is used, and it is necessary to take this sobering fact into consideration. You must adapt to the conditions in which you work, for they will never be the same. You have to be willing to improve to be the most effective teacher, and who better to evaluate your performance than your students? Adaptability is especially important in a classroom environment where the dynamic of students changes from semester to semester. You have to be able to adjust according to the changes of the season—this is where I think the statement fails the most. While Spence really does make some good assertions, I think that willingness to receive constructive criticism is one that you cannot live without. This point in the statement is DEFINITELY one that needs to be modified. However, I really do love the fact that he appreciates the time to experience learning again. I feel a lot of academics get rooted into what they teach, and that’s all they care about improving. Even though I disliked some other things Spence stated, this is something really unique that I appreciate.
My favorite was the statement by Fern K. Willits. As I stated above, I think a rather important quality in a teacher is adaptability. Willits addresses this in the first part of his statement by declaring, “there is no magic formula or set of gimmicks that will make someone an effective teacher.” Honestly, I really agree with almost ALL of the philosophies in this statement. Perhaps, one that I may modify myself would be Willits’ belief in retesting as an opportunity to revisit material. Personally, I think the availability of a retest to students will make them a bit lazier. They’ll try hard, but they know they’ll have a safety net. There’s a bit more pressure on a student to really hone in on the material when they know they don’t get another shot to prove their worth. I do believe, however, in giving students the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. I always get frustrated when I take exams and never see what I get wrong. I can see that I missed x amount of questions, but it doesn’t teach me anything when I don’t even know what questions I missed. Overall, this statement was eloquently written. It portrayed a quiet confidence but also indicated that Willits is a flexible teacher. As he states, “The key, I believe, is flexibility.” I really couldn’t agree more.