Mandy Johnson

For the past twelve years I have been a life skills educator. On a daily basis, I have the opportunity to change the world one student at a time, through positive role modeling, inspiration and teaching topics that are relevant to the life of a teenager. I get to impact lives on a regular basis. Every teacher has a unique philosophy to guide them in the classroom, but a good educator has ideas and methods also based in educational theory. My educational philosophy guides all of the decisions I make in the classroom, from decorations to personal interactions and curriculum choices.

Although I don’t subscribe to every tenet, my basic ideas have their roots in the Pragmatism philosophy of teaching and learning. According to the blog post, Implications of Pragmatism in Educational System (2013), those who subscribe to the theory of Pragmatism believe in the Principle of Utility, which says subjects, curriculum and activities should be based on what is useful for the student in the real world, both now and in the future. I purposefully chose to get my undergraduate degree in Family and Consumer Sciences because of my passion for teaching life skills to teenagers.

I have taught many different subjects throughout my time as an educator, but my favorite has always been a class called Teen Choices. This class explores and helps students navigate the tricky teenage years and the difficult decisions they are likely to face, and my true passion is able to shine through in a way my students can see and feel. I have always loved teaching the unit on reproduction and sexuality the most. It is a topic that I feel extremely comfortable discussing with young people and I believe my comfort level helps them learn and truly understand the concepts better than if they were being taught by a teacher who is uncomfortable with the subject matter. Like the Pragmatist philosophy, I believe that students can more easily learn and succeed when they can see the connection between their learning and the real world application. In sexuality education, this is extremely easy to do.

I believe that part of my job in teaching is to be a positive role model in the lives of my students. I create an environment in my classroom where students feel comfortable and welcome. My walls are covered in color, decorations, and student work. I have motivational posters made from memes found on social media. I have a wall of lyrical wisdom with my favorite meaningful song lyrics for students to ponder. There is my music wall that has memorabilia from many of the concerts I’ve attended, and pictures of my favorite artists. I have a wall dedicated to the artwork and wonderful things students have given me over the years, and collages of all the senior pictures I am given each year. Students tell me on a regular basis how much they love my room, and many of them spend their free time there because they feel so comfortable in the environment I purposely cultivate. All of this translates into a classroom students want to be in and a teacher they feel they can relate to.

People are naturally social creatures, so it makes sense that we would learn well in social settings and that we can learn how to get along in these settings only by socializing. This is another belief of Pragmatism, and one of mine as well. When you walk into my classroom, you can see that it is a place for working together. I do not have desks in the room, except for mine, and there are no rows or columns to sit in. Instead I have five sets of tables, each of which can seat six students comfortably. Students share their thoughts and ideas about content, they share workspace and friendly conversation when it is appropriate, and they are easily paired or grouped for collaborative activities. In many instances, I allow students to practice together the tasks they will be expected to perform individually later. The topics addressed in sexuality education are social constructs or social activities, and I believe part of my job as a sexuality educator is to help students feel more comfortable discussing many aspects of sexuality in social settings.

Pragmatism also says that education should be centered around experiences and activity. Whenever possible, I try to give students hands-on activities that force them to not only move, but actively engage their brains in making connections with the content. I create and find curriculum and resources that students can interact with, using both manipulatives and technology to bring learning to life for the students in my classes. I think outside of the box to come up with experiences students can engage in to learn and understand content.

Helping young people understand the biology, sociology and psychology of sexuality is my biggest passion and I want to spread this passion to others by providing professional development for other sexuality educators. I want to continue my work in the secondary classroom, and may pursue teaching at the college level someday. I believe sexuality education is important for people of all ages, and will continue to work toward bringing developmentally appropriate sexuality education to students at all levels.

References
Implications of Pragmatism in Educational System. (2013). Educational System. Retrieved from
http://educational-system.blogspot.com/2013/02/implications-of-pragmatism-in.html