Utilitarianism is the ideal that when we take action, we must make the appropriate choice that does the most amount of good for the greatest number of people – those that provide the greatest utility.  In terms of education, we must make choices that most efficiently benefits the greatest number of students.  An example would be the choice between providing free hot lunches for poor children in a school, or an extra staff member to provide assistance for struggling readers.  Both choices have utility, or value – but which would provide the greatest benefit to the greatest number of children.  Provided both programs cost the same, the utilitarian would make a choice at examining the overall utility.

As I said earlier, prior to teaching I believed described myself as a utilitarian.  Although I still believe that we have limited funds, and the greatest utility to the greatest number of students is a priority – there are many more ‘ism’s’ that make me who I am.   I also see myself as an adherent to constructivism.  Although quite honestly, I feel this is a cop out.  Any teacher worth their salt, or who is concerned about their job security should be a constructivist.  Constructivism is  the belief that knowledge is not merely transmitting information from the teacher to the student.  Rather that learning is an active process whereby the learner constructs meaning to recreate knowledge.  I’ve always believed this, and have come to understand this belief, the more and more I teach.  Children are not vessels waiting to be filled with my amazing wisdom.  They will take the information I have shared and organized it a meaningful way.

I’ve been highly enamored with the book Leading in a Culture of Change, by Michael Fullan.  Fullan describes constructivist ideology when he refers to the best practices to share knowledge, or knowledge building.  The information that is critical in any situation is tacit knowledge.  This is the information that is not easily written down, but personal – insights, hunches, experience.  This building of tacit knowledge through experience is what my children will take with them, and ultimately remember most.  I can honestly say I use the lessons that my 4^th and 5^th grade teacher at Lister Elementary Tod Sharon taught me daily.  The explicit knowledge he taught me . . . no clue.

The final ‘ism’ I am willing to latch myself on to is existentialism.  I feel real sophisticated when I say that.  It makes me think of wearing a black baret and turtleneck, smoking Gauloises and reading Sartre.   The funny thing about existentialism, is that it believes you shouldn’t define yourself with ‘ism’s’ – quite the paradox.  Existentialism manifests itself in teaching through the quest for defining life, and who we are.  People have free will and are responsible for their actionsThis responsibility is key to my teaching.

When I think of being an existentialist as a teacher, one of my core beliefs in the classroom, is that we control our actions.  I don’t care where any of my children come from, they ultimately make the decision where they go.  Despite what a middle school student may think, they create the reality they will live in.  Are they going to define themselves as others see might see them – disadvantaged, remedial, etc.  Or will they choose to create their own way.  Both my students and I define each day, each lesson, internally – we alone can identify how impactful it is in our lives.

I can’t say for certain I have one philosophy that guides my practice.  I began by thinking that I am a strict utilitarian.  As with most teachers, one ‘ism’ cannot define me.  I take the philosophies that work best, and discard those that don’t – without even knowing it.   When it comes to that process, I can say I look for the most utility.  This paper, as with my learning and teaching is of course, a work in progress . . .