#84 I Am the Walrus

In a rare change of direction (ie NOT running-related), I'd like to share with you a reflection that I've been asked to do as part of a course I'm currently taking at OISE (Teacher's College at U of T). The year-long course is called 'Teacher Education Seminar' and essentially is a course which outlines and introduces us as teacher candidates to various issues, ideas, topics, tools, strategies and situations that we are likely to face as potential educators and challenges us to think critically about who we are as individuals and what that will mean to and for our development as future teachers.

The following prompt was provided for us to reflect upon and will be the focus of my subsequent ramblings. It is part of a larger 'Professional Growth Portfolio' assignment and essentially highlights my current, but constantly evolving, 'Philosophy of Education.' It asks:

In what ways have your personal values, beliefs, social identities, strengths, personal biases, and assumptions influenced the way you teach and learn?

The short and simple yet unsatisfactory (and slightly sarcastic) response would be: A LOT! How I learn and teach, what I choose to learn and teach, with whom and for whom I choose to learn and teach, where and even why I choose to learn and teach are inevitably based on my personal 'lived' experiences, both past and present. These experiences, in various ways, have subsequently led to the current set of values, beliefs, and attitudes I currently possess which in turn directly and indirectly contribute to my sense of personal identity (how I see myself or imagine myself seen by others) as well as my social identit(ies) (how I am seen and viewed by others). Tied in to all of this, are the various biases, assumptions, and preferences I have/hold towards ideas, events, individuals and ultimately the world around me.

In order to better understand 'where I come from' and 'what I see' (ie to understand my unique perspective of the world...the world according to Dan Way), the following information is most certainly relevant and should thus be openly disclosed.

I am a white, 25 year old, heterosexual, Canadian male from a middle class background. This affords me a tremendous amount of power, privilege, opportunity, advantage and social 'capital' which I may or may not be aware/conscious of at all times but inevitably exists. In sum, I am extremely lucky!

Gazing West. Dairy Way Farms Inc. 

However I did not come from a particularly wealthy or 'well to do' background. I grew up in rural Ontario and spent a majority of my childhood and adolescence living in the country on our family (dairy) farm where I spent many years working hard and building a strong work-ethic and sense of responsibility. My parents divorced when I was quite young but I was always surrounded by what I would call a loving and nourishing extended group of family and friends, an environment which has grown and exists to this day. I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic elementary and high-schools but currently hold no religious or spiritual affiliations. I do not believe in God, ghosts or goblins but am open to the idea that extra-terrestrial life exists somewhere in our universe. I am highly educated, possessing both an undergraduate (BMSc) and graduate (MSc) degree and have been fortunate to take part in two separate international exchange programs, to the UK and Germany, as well as travel extensively within Western Europe. I have enjoyed my education, predominantly of the life/biological sciences and have a great appreciation for the natural sciences and the physical world in which we live. As a science educator, I am predominantly concerned with understanding and explaining the natural world including laws, theories and facts about how it all works. I am particularly interested in human biology and how this relates to health. There was also a time not so long ago when I knew the capital city of every country in the world as well as the formula for every amino acid. I also knew a great deal about the Star Wars films but have sadly lost a great deal of my nerdiness and knowledge of useless facts. Sharing and extending my knowledge and understanding of the world is a major impetus as to why I want to teach and inspire a new generation of thinkers and doers. I don't expect and won't attempt to change the world, but am open and excited to make a difference, no matter how small.

I am also currently highly committed to distance running as a serious hobby and form of amateur sport and so value health, fitness and physical activity. From this I've also come to value competition, performance and a constant dedication to self-improvement and mastery. In other words, I believe in objective outcomes. I also believe in meritocracy and being rewarded for ones hard-work and effort. I believe that individuals, or groups of individuals, are largely responsible for themselves, their health and their overall sense of well-being. That said, I am all too aware that many complicated, complex, and higher order 'factors' exist (race, class, gender, etc, etc) and contribute in significant and lasting ways. The world is indeed unbalanced and some have it better than others. That is a fact of life. I feel that it's important and indeed essential to be conscious and aware of these factors, to understand and appreciate their impact and extent, and in fact work towards finding meaningful and measurable solutions where inequalities exist, but I do not feel this is my main focus or objective as an educator and thus my approach is far more moderate. I am not an activist or an evangelist; I am an educator and seek to provide knowledge and understanding. The rest is up to you.

My philosophy of education is likely to change, perhaps dramatically, as I develop as both a teacher and as an individual over time. I look forward to the journey and the inevitable highs and lows to come. For now, I embrace and accept the person I am including all my various strengths and weaknesses, my biases and assumptions, my preferences and priorities. Recently, during a discussion with friends, someone asked: "If you were stuck alone on an island for an entire year; could you live with yourself?" My response, accompanied with a cheeky chuckle, was 'Of course I could!' And I honestly believe that.

PS: In case you were wondering, I also ran 168k last week, week 10 of training for NYC. Only 5 weeks to go.

#59: I'll Be on My Way

The Dan Way Journey of Life continues and takes another turn...

Hide your children everyone, today I received confirmation that I had been successfully accepted to Teacher's College. This means at least one more year of being in school (ie extremely poor but with loads of free time) and one less year of facing the 'real world' (responsibility, obligations and all that good stuff). Now I have but two weeks to decide where to pursue my pedagogical path to becoming an enlightened educator. My options include the University of Western Ontario (UWO; aka Western in London, ON) or the University of Toronto (also my current location). Eventually I plan to (and will) teach intermediate/senior level sciences (biology, chemistry, maybe even physics) to high school students. I know these areas well given my undergraduate and graduate education, especially biology (including physiology, biochemistry, and cell biology). And so after many years of contemplating possible career avenues (doctor, academia, public servant), I have settled on a most necessary and noble (perhaps nonsensical) career in education.

Many of you who regularly read my blog might doubt my ability or willingness to teach children and youth, display leadership and respect or contribute to the betterment of society in any way (given my budding reputation as a selfish, arrogant, elitist). But who better to instruct, inspire, motivate and mould a new generation of young humans than myself? Clearly, the "everybody wins", politically correct model stressing inclusion, fairness and equality is not working based on my observations and interactions with teenagers (a massive generalization I realize); and so perhaps a new model, a better model, is in order. Don't get me wrong, I value and at times even espouse the above qualities and recognize their profound importance; however, I do not feel they should be prioritized and emphasized at the cost of essential others such as personal responsibility, integrity, honesty, commitment and dedication.

People who know me well will have realized that above all, I value meritocracy: Those who work hard and strive to achieve a worthwhile goal should be justly rewarded for their efforts. This is essentially why I love the sport of running; where you only get out what you're willing to put in. I am also a perfectionist that expects the best of myself and others. I don't like to be disappointed when others let me down and I don't tolerate excuses for personal failures. Making mistakes is acceptable and even expected; but when done repeatedly, they become choices. Everyone must be accountable to themselves and at times to others. People are independent and free to make the best possible choices for themselves; although sadly many fail to do so. They should not expect others to be responsible for them and should acknowledge and accept their own limitations (mine are numerous as indicated above). Believe it or not, I also am occasionally empathetic and have a sincere consideration for others. I can be kind, compassionate and caring and often genuinely want to help those who need and require it. I help those who help themselves. I also value loyalty and uphold numerous family values. I’ll admit I’m not a great person, but I’m not a terrible person either.

Ultimately, I do not feel a need to justify who I am or what I plan to do with my life. I am confident that I will make an excellent teacher one day and am excited for the challenges and rewards that such an endeavour will create. I am optimistic and enthusiastic about disseminating knowledge; contributing to personal and social development; and leading by example. I will continue to learn from the past, be focused on the present but will always look forward to the future.