Below is an excerpt from my personal pedagogy statement that I wrote in November 2021.
I feel most closely aligned with is reconstructionism. From my understanding, reconstructionism is closely related to activism, current events, and change, “it regards philosophies as interpretations of culture, and educational philosophies as theories of cultural change” (Mosier, 1951, p. 89). The significance of Mosier’s comment is that while reconstructionism ideologies revolve around culture, but that education is rooted in changing and growing, that the system that has been built is where change is meant to happen, rather than in philosophy circles. I trust that while education has a lot of positives in the now, or even in the past, there have been so many social issues that are necessary to teach to better the education of the whole child. Throughout the summer, I spent hours reading articles on anti-racism, how to teach with an anti-racist lens, and the impact that white feminism has had on women of colour, each of these articles or ideas is based on cultural change. Anti-racism targets to dismantle the socially constructed ideals of racism evidently, it gives voices to people of colour, and promotes actual equality for all, inclusive of all races. Teaching with this lens most simply put looks at removing the barriers that have historically existed for students of colour, and working to embrace and include these students, families, and building an honest community. To reach true inclusion in a classroom, every student should feel able to be themselves and feel celebrated for that. This look towards inclusion and working on anti-racism is how I position myself within reconstructionism and critical theory as philosophies.
This quote from Illich’s (1970) “Deschooling Society,” represents how I view the idea of universal education:
“Universal education through schooling is not feasible. It would be no more feasible if it were attempted by means of alternative institutions built on the style of present schools. Neither new attitudes of teachers toward their pupils nor the proliferation of educational hardware or software (in classroom or bedroom), nor finally the attempt to expand the pedagogue’s responsibility until it engulfs his pupils’ lifetimes will deliver universal education. The current search for new educational funnels must be reversed into the search for their institutional inverse: educational webs which heighten the opportunity for each one to transform each moment of his living into one of learning, sharing, and caring.” (p. 2)
While this take is fairly negative, I believe that working towards the ideal of universal education is necessary, and is also not about reinventing everything, but doing as much good for as many students as possible. Universal education is aptly named, it is about including every student in education and learning without discrimination based on any defining features such as race, gender, or social class. I hope to learn and grow as a teacher, aiming to create change in my classroom, promote kindness, and work towards creating a community of respect. Teaching has always been a way of disseminating information to the greater community, and reconstructionism seems to fundamentally be the drive to teach for a better tomorrow, accepting and celebrating everyone as they are.
