With the new academic year officially beginning, I spent the day with my college peers, staff and leadership discussing the strategic plan and goals for the college. While I listened to the discussion, I thought to myself, “I need a mission”. As a novice educator, my teaching philosophy (mission) continues to be an ever evolving process; however, as a novice educator I believe it is important to at least have tangible evidence of one’s teaching philosophy. In the everyday world of nursing education, the possibility that the teacher’s power can be both positive and negative is a daily challenge. Thus, the teacher must be keenly aware of the power differences between themselves and students. Early in my teaching career, I had a student brave enough to voice, “Ms. Lisa, You are not listening to the question I am asking”. As an educator, the moments like that experience significantly facilitate my growth as an educator. The uniqueness of the individual learner is fundamental to the learning experience requiring a positive, direct relationship between the teacher and student. Communication and the uniqueness of the student are central to my teaching philosophy. Positive growth for the student may come about not so much by the teacher talking. Positive growth of each learner may occur by the teacher listening, carefully, to what the learner is requiring of the teacher in order for the student to grow. Therefore, the teacher should ask critical questions of the student in an effort to develop rapport and to facilitate learning. The teacher then acts more as facilitator rather than acting as an absolute authority with an absolute truth. Serving as a resource, the educator then has the opportunity to guide students toward discovering knowledge, applying new found skills and making wise choices. In nursing, these choices impact both the progress of the student and the immediate or future provision of care. Learning is at its best when the educator acknowledges the student’s unique paradigm (personal experiences and values) and builds upon positive, non-judgmental interactions. Mastering mountains of information and facts is important in nursing; however, this should not be the central purpose of learning. A more enduring aspect of learning is the cultivation of enthusiasm, initiative and responsibility for learning by the learner.
I am looking forward to this year and the experiences that the year will hold. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”