Ms. Blakeslee's Website

My Educational Philosophy: 

   "A mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled."  Plutarch  

When I went back to school for my Masters in Teaching, one of the first courses I took was Adolescent Psychology and another was Adirondack Environmental History.  In the psychology class, I read specific information from assigned chapters so that I could answer predictable questions on periodic exams.   I noticed my fellow students used the same strategy I did, we memorized with index cards what we expected to be on the exam, and then wrote as fast as possible during the exam fearful of forgetting our newly crammed knowledge.  Unfortunately I have forgotten most of what I memorized and I definitely didn’t learn or develop a deep understanding of adolescent psychology and learning development during that course.  Adirondack Environmental History was a much different learning experience for me.  I enjoyed the extensive reading immensely, and felt challenged by the research, interpretation and critical analysis that was expected of me.  As a result, I have a profound appreciation and understanding of the history and environment of the place where I live, the Adirondacks.  These two very different learning experiences have had a major influence on my developing educational philosophy. 

     Learning is not work, it is one of the brain’s primary functions and something we do all the time naturally.  Without learning, we become restless and frustrated.  The cognitive psychologist, Frank Smith, who has done very interesting research on how we think and learn, says that not much learning or comprehension takes place in an atmosphere of anxiety.[i]  When we relax and learn for interest, we enjoy it more, learn more than we expect, and are less likely to forget what is relevant to us.  I believe my job as a teacher is not to transmit disconnected facts but to engage and challenge my students to discover how the facts relate to a larger whole, to big ideas and understandings.  I want my students to learn by doing and by solving problems that have meaning for them so they can take what they learn and apply it to their lives beyond the classroom.  

     I believe in the uniqueness of each of my students and in each student’s ability to achieve his or her full potential.  When students begin to believe they are inconsequential with little influence over their lives, they learn to limit themselves.  If students are labeled as slow or not living up to expectations, they will probably fulfill the prophecy.  Instead of focusing on our children’s weaknesses, we need to focus on their strengths and special gifts.  Each of us learns differently and we are smart in different ways, so are our children.  My job as their teacher is to listen to them, value their point of view, seek to understand what they know and then connect their current ideas with new ones. 

     I went back to school because I believe when we stop learning, we stop growing.  If my students also believe that, I will have accomplished much.