A Thought.

Aristotle

     As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, joy, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect. The truth is that I have been taking the time to think about the invisible tensions that are present with regards to higher education, especially as I begin to think further and deeper about the significance of scholarly work. What is it's significance? What role does it play within our society? I think scholarly work does have importance because it allows individuals to think about key issues or questions which are of interest, and can benefit societal groups. The tensions are rising in the midst of the technological era. There are options for online classes, as well as using technology for the purposes of information sharing, research, gathering. It goes without saying that there are many benefits to the innovations, that have arrived with technology and the teaching and learning processes.

     With the rise of the cost associated with higher education, financial debt, home / life balance, learning constraints from the knowledge economy, where there is also a competitive drive, as people want to begin in a sense "sell" their ideas. In one sense I think that it is good to push students, to showcase and share their learning. However, my deeper tensions arise when I begin to think about a dollar value being placed on knowledge. Should there be a monetary value on thought, thinking and learning? In a sense yes, because of the fact that we have to pay to learn. But if we begin to emphasize the money factor, learning will never take place. We want to promote learning, promoting values for the betterment of society, when we emphasize a monetary gain, the lens fades away from learning to a position of: what is in this for me, etc. Learning begins with the heart, It is through the connection of the heart and mind. If this connection erodes, eventually learning fades away.

                            Teaching Philosophy:

     Whilst I am very appreciative of the mechanisms available for information sharing, education, teaching, and learning. I am a deep believer in the traditional methods of teaching and learning as well. My teaching philosophy is deeply inspired, and surpasses the technological advances and era that we are presently experiencing. Conversation, engaging with fellow students through discussion, and the texts. Sharing life experiences along with learning, are important to me. Thought is important to me. The preservation of creativity, and the creative flow is deeply important to myself, to my practice of teaching and learning, as well as from the perspective of a parent.

Dedication: I dedicate these thoughts to all creative thinkers, and educators, as you share your passion for teaching and learning. And to myself - I will never allow anyone to dilute what is important to me.

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand - written on January 14th, 2016
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