My philosophical stance in education

After two years working under the K-6 public school system in the U.S and in conjunction with discovering John Dewey’s philosophy, I came to realize that I am more in favor of supporting the importance of an adequate environment where students can learn best for themselves rather than following a set of rigid standards. I am a product of the Vietnamese education system, where assessment is an indication to measure students’ ability. I came to believe that my ability had its limits and they were fully reflected by my performance at school. But I struggled to rise above mediocrity and good “enough” relative to my peers who took to the rigors of academia more naturally. 

At that time, Vietnamese education system wasn't as versatile compared to today.  Perhaps, I could have thrived a bit more easily in a more open-minded pedagogical framework, but this was not an option at the time.  I felt pressure to conform to this unitary mode of education; which I was grateful to have access to, in comparison to the alternative. But in a homogeneous society that valued the traditional virtues which imbues teachers with a sort of unquestionable authority. When I was growing up, we sat in a classroom of more than thirty pupils as we attempted to memorize by rote as many facts as possible by the following day. When we could be called up in front of the class to demonstrate the totality of what we had retained. Class rankings were posted publicly. My anxiety around peer judgement had a harmful effect on my recall, and I could not ascertain whether my uneven performance was legitimately due to subject matter struggles, or social intimidation. I believe this biased my self-perceptions into early adulthood when I began living in America, where I eventually habituated to a more internally driven judgement of myself. 

In the present day, these difficult early life experiences have faded, I have found a silver lining as a result of living in both countries where cultural perspectives are quite disparate. This hybrid education has allowed me to ask a few philosophical questions that may not have otherwise naturally occurred. Could a set of rigid educational standards like the Common Core State Standards as a homogeneous means of education really work in a heterogeneous society where individualism and personal distinctiveness were the core values of the American culture? Is this a paradox we have created when the school system is held up against our American values? 

In his notable textbook, American Society, Robin M. Williams Jr. addresses the distinctiveness of American individualism in an unusually nuanced way. He lists an emphasis on ‘‘individual personality rather than group identity and responsibility’’ as one of the eight key ‘‘value orientations’’ distinctive to American culture, by which he means the insistence that ‘‘the individual [is] an integral agent, relatively autonomous and morally responsible...What evidence is there that American culture is more imbued with such individualism than others? Williams points to the emphasis in American law on individual rights—at least in the twentieth century’’ (Fischer, C, 2008, p. 1-2, para 1&2)

 In conclusion, my take on measuring students' success isn’t simply based on students' inherent intellectual capacities, as intellect cannot be separated from the environment. I’d define intelligence as a purposeful utilization of knowledge consistent with the perceived needs of the individual and culture in which it resides.  Having first hand experiences on the impact of rigid standards alongside high risk standardized testing, I make certain that my philosophical stance is respectful and understanding of the student's overall learning context, based on their unique neuro-biology and cultural environment. Inclusively, I prefer to associate collectivism and individualism values toward my teaching activities in the diverse community we live in

Reference

Fischer, C. 2008. Paradoxes of American individualism. Social Forum. Vol 23, 1-2. doi:  10.1111/j.1573-7861.2008.00066.x. https://sociology.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/faculty/fischer/Fischer_Paradoxes%20of%20Individualism_2008.p. PDF