I've got this assignment I'm working on that has to be finished by Sunday. I had some time at work because it's deathly quiet here now. I am supposed to come up with my educational philosophy. The first part of the assignment is to look at my influences...The professor asked that we look at where we come from...Culture...Religion...Family values and beliefs...Education...Political Preferences...and Personal Experiences... I didn't start researching formally, but I took some time to just bang some things out on the computer. I didn't take time to proofread or edit...this was just raw stuff that I had fun with...

I'd like to share it with you...

What has influenced your beliefs about education…

1. Family upbringing…
a. Idea of work was strong. Grandpa had a heart attack and took two aspirin and went back to milking cows.
b. Strong and stoic…you kept going despite crap happening
c. Parents gave freedom of choice…encouraged me to be inquisitive, but I was a lazy booger.
d. This is Minnesota…You go to college. There is no debate-You can study what you want to, but by gosh…you’re going to school. It’s what everybody your age does.
e. And we are darn frugal. Spending on anything except a good education is frowned upon. You are entitled to a good education as long as you can perform and pay for it. Hey…if you weren’t strong enough, it’s okay to go to RCC or Normandale and then transfer to a good school. That way, you saved money and still got that educational bang for your buck. Hey, if you didn’t go to Wartburg or St. Olaf…Mankato is okay…just remember that you can still get a good job even if you don’t go to Harvard.
2. What does Lutheranism have to do with this…(This is most certainly true...)
a. Since you are saved by grace…you do have the opportunity to screw up, and God will accept you….But, don’t complain when it doesn’t go your way. Oh and by the way… If you’re going to whine remember those folks in India that have it worse than you.
b. It’s better if you go to one of those Midwestern Lutheran schools. You get the liberal arts education that you need. They’re good and you had to go to chapel.
c. Hey, we’re Lutheran and not Baptist. Martin Luther drank beer and so can we. The thing is…no matter how much you had on Saturday night, your butt better be parked in church on Sunday morning.
3. Yes, I went to that German Lutheran school in Iowa and they did teach me a thing or two…
a. I was taught by professors from the sixties. They did believe in questioning authority and bucking the status quo. They also believed in expanding your mind…I think I expanded my mind a few times…oh…it was a blur…
b. But, I did go to school during the early 80’s. It was the Reagan revolution and the beginning of the WIFM (What’s in it for me) era. I got a little touch of that.
c. Remember that nothing’s for free. You had to work for a grade…and if you handed stuff in late, you didn’t deserve a decent grade, but you had to pucker up and kiss the prof’s backside and pray that he or she was kind enough. So, yeah…work in school was important.
d. They told me, and I do happen to agree with them, that the “college experience” was central in the learning process there. Learning didn’t just occur in the classroom, but on campus, in the cafeteria, and in the dorms. For the longest time I though the most crucial thing was how to successfully get down multiple beers in a beer bong, how to make a stiff Rusty Nail (two shots of scotch and a half a shot of Drambuie), and how to lie to a female freshman. I did learn how to live with people, how to compromise, how to work independently, and live like an adult, but that came much later…

What about my family’s political views?
a. Two words…Republican Farmers…You spent your money wisely-you don’t throw it around willy-nilly to every social program out there. Schools are important, but don’t throw your hand up and say yes anytime a school referendum comes up. We just had this conversation last weekend at my niece’s confirmation. I still have a hard time buying a second pair of pants at Kohl’s. This goes back to the frugality issue…We bought a new vehicle last month. I think I didn’t sleep for three days worrying about spending money on it.
b. I rebelled against my family’s views, but I find myself becoming more frugal as time wears on. I wonder how that will affect my feelings toward education in the future.

My personal experiences and how they’ve shaped me…

a. The biggest one is my journey into sobriety. Active alcoholics are selfish and self centered people. The 12 step recovery program I belong to allows me to escape selfishness and see outside of myself. It is only by cleaning up the wreckage of my past and freely giving to others, that I am able to live happily and in serenity. Education is all about being of service and giving back. When I focus on those around me and letting them experience learning, I am a much healthier human being.
b. Although college was a learning experience, my time in the military taught me that learning is not an individual endeavor. Hey, I’m in it with a bunch of guys from different backgrounds with a singular mission. We’ve got to get something accomplished here. It’s not about ego…it’s about getting it done. Some may have shiny epaulets on their collars, some a lot of stripes, and some are slick sleeved privates. All are essential for completion of the mission. So…how does that help me as an educator? No one part is greater than the whole. I am but a player in this game. As an educator I do want to make it happen for a group of learners, but I am not the key. I am the one who helps them turn the key of knowledge to open the door.
c. I have been a part of education that focused on the process and “shared the experience”-that was from those profs from the 60’s. I’ve also lived in Asia and been in classrooms with students who come from a teacher centered classroom. Both had their merits. The experiential classroom enabled students to collaborate and share ideas…they couldn’t add or subtract their ways out of paper bags, but they could come up with some innovative ideas. I’ve also seen those Korean science or math whizzes that given a variable or an educational curveball, would melt down faster than Cherynoble. After all of that, the answer for students needs to be somewhere in the middle.
d. I was a late bloomer. A guy with ADD, who thought that everyone was smarter and better equipped to handle life. I didn’t think I had the capability to still learn. Being in school in my 40’s has excited me. I want to give adults like me that same opportunities that I am now facing. Yes, we have kids, jobs, responsibilities, and a whole bunch of life going on…but oh my God, it’s fun to learn new things and talk about it with each other.
e. I’m also an Academic Advisor, who has seen people with lower confidence come in and experience success. I believe small amounts of academic success can breed confidence and excitement. I want to be the spark that cranks them up…

Okay this is a draft and I have to research some crap now to substantiate what I believe. I am still not sure what I think of myself, but at least I can get a little bit of an idea of who I am.