Although the parts of the following narratives are reflected in some areas of this web site, they do shed some additional light on my philosophy and reasons for teaching. These were written for International School Services in November 2005

Derrel Fincher

 

 

Question: "What makes you an outstanding educator?"

I have a photo that shows me with my sixth grade math students doing what I do a lot—listening and watching. I've found that the less I talk and the more I listen and watch, the more students learn. Much of what I do is to ask the right question at the right time. I challenge their assumptions and expect them to support their beliefs and thoughts. But they also find that their ideas are valued and that it's okay to change their minds. My educational philosophy derives from my life before teaching, experience in the classroom, knowledge of technology, watching my own children learn, and studying the foundations of education. I do have strong feelings about what helps students learn, just as I have strong feelings about mathematics and technology.

Mathematics is, above all, a human endeavor. It was created by humans to help them understand the world around them, just as I use it to help understand the world around me. I try to communicate that philosophy to my students by the way I teach and work with them. My students soon learn that I seldom have answers—just more questions. For math, they learn that most problems that do have answers have numerous correct answers but many more incorrect ones. They learn that whatever their solution, they must be able to support it both mathematically and realistically. They learn to validate their own answers by discussing with each other the mathematics they used and the decisions they made. They learn to listen to what others are saying and evaluate it critically. They learn that problems aren't solved in a heartbeat. They become mathematicians.

I didn't come to this philosophy of mathematics suddenly; it happened over a number of years. I may teach now, but I'm also an engineer. I spent fifteen years of having to use math in my profession and, truthfully, the math I learned in school did me very little good. It presumed each problem had only one teacher-validated answer. As an engineer, the problems I faced were so open-ended that the range of solutions sometimes seemed boundless, but not only did I have to make valid assumptions, I also had to convince others that my assumptions and approach were correct. Math helped me understand and shape that world; it helps my students understand and shape theirs.

Technology supports my students, but it is not the technology of spreadsheets, calculators, and math programs most think of in a math class, although we do use them. I use technology to extend the community we build inside the classroom, allowing students to communicate and collaborate with each other anytime, while allowing me to see their work in progress. Students may instant message me for a quick clarification on an assignment or to ask more probing questions, or they may use a more elaborate system to practice professional discourse with each other. They may post their work or reflections in a collaborative web site so the others may see it and comment on it, or they may give me feedback about how they think they are doing or how class is going for them. Technology is not solely for projects, special occasions, or something to be scheduled. It is relentless. It is our students’ future.

Students must be prepared for that future, not only by using current technologies but also by becoming comfortable with the uncertainty that comes with learning a new skill. I developed technology courses that match my belief in what it means to learn technology. In September 2003, I began a new course I had developed over the previous year, which replaced three existing courses. Explorations is a multi-tiered technology course with students on all tiers in the same class. Advanced students must propose their own learning goals and follow through on them. Less advanced students have more structure, but they also must show their learning, not only with their products but also by the way they approach problems. They, too, have substantial freedom to shape their own learning and integrate the class with other classes or with their own personal desires. The course is about learning; preferably theirs.

 

A personal statement concerning philosophy, interests, and experiences relative to education and working abroad.

During a presentation I once was asked, “Where are you from?” That gave me pause. I was born in Colombia, but fourteen moves, four countries, and several decades later, I’m in Japan. Where am I from? “The Oklahoma-Texas area” is what I’ve learned to answer; I try to spare a casual questioner the details.

My career is equally international. I didn’t start out to be a teacher. I began as an engineer, with experiences ranging from field engineer to project manager. The company I worked for prior to teaching is transnational, with over ninety nationalities in the professional force working in over a hundred different countries. In many meetings, even just department meetings, it was fairly common for professionals from most continents to be present. Working with people who are all from the same country is not my custom, just as living in one place is not my custom.

Through a long series of circumstances I found myself in front of international school sixth grade math students. They were as diverse in background as people I had worked with. What a remarkable time! I realized I truly enjoyed working with these students and that I had much to offer them. Helping them connect mathematics with their lives was only the beginning. They could learn that they must know if their answer is correct and also convince others of their process and methods. They could learn that success is not necessarily easy or sure. They could learn that not succeeding is not the same as failing; the difference is frame of mind and willingness to learn from the setback. They could learn that they have to take the responsibility for shaping their learning. And they could learn that the future is theirs—if they dare.

The journey from engineer to teacher required determination as I was no longer an expert, but a neophyte. Fortunately, my many moves and positions had taught me that every transition has a period of perplexity. I knew concepts that seemed mysterious would become clear and my missteps would become fewer. I made mistakes in the beginning, but I also had successes. I pursued the profession of teaching with the same passion I have for teaching students, which not only included achieving certification and attending and presenting at conferences, but also earning an advanced degree in educational technology. I began as an engineer but now I am a teacher.

In short, I have an international background, wide-ranging experience and education, the determination to be in the forefront, and the ability to use these to support my students and enhance the broader school environment.

 

Contrast the skills you believe are critical to the success of an effective administrator with those critical to the success of an effective teacher.

When I began teaching, I found many similarities to previous leadership positions, the most striking being teaching is collaboration with students; leading is collaboration with members of the team. In both cases asking questions to spark thinking and reflection is a fundamental obligation. Like a teacher, a leader has to help others maintain focus on a goal, help assure that the goal is correct, help celebrate successes, coach when necessary, step back when necessary, and shield the team from interference. But there are dissimilarities as well. The leader is often responsible for all professional work and actions of those working for him. Unlike a teacher, the leader will often work with the same team for several years and must help with the long-term professional growth of the members.

Once plans and directions are set, often the best thing a leader can do is not mistake impeding for leading. Team members are professionals and the leader must trust in that professionalism, but also provide guidance and help with growth. As such, a leader’s job is not to make all decisions but set conditions so that good decisions are made at the lowest level possible.

It’s not easy. As a project manager I had the thrill, time and again, of seeing something I only envisioned in my mind become something I could hold and touch. I had the excitement of working with a team to guide our seemingly disparate contributions to the whole we had envisioned. I had the joy, and occasional despair, of leading a team of multi-national professionals to a goal that they didn’t think they could meet. But I’ve also had the disillusionment and subsequent soul-searching of not succeeding.

That’s leadership. But every leadership position, particularly in technology, has a service component. When I was a young, I thought I wanted to be a salesman. I came to realize that I didn’t want to sell; I wanted to help people solve their problems. And that’s what I did. This was true when I started as a field engineer directing a crew on location, and it was true when I was a project manager, overseeing projects that developed tools to be used by field engineers. Our job was service. I had a philosophy about our purpose as a service organization that drove our designs and our relationship with our customers—if anything went wrong, it was our fault. If the field didn’t properly maintain the tool, it was our fault. If the tool failed in the hole, it was our fault. If the field didn’t read the manual and misused the tool, it was our fault. Now, given that the problem was our fault, what could we do to find the root cause and solve the problem? We didn’t live up to this perfectly, and we made plenty of mistakes, but it did help us stay focused on what was important: our customers.

My goal in leading a support group is that it be of service—to teachers, to students, to the school community. Service in not only how the organization meets current needs, but also in how it prepares for the future and helps the community move forward. We are preparing students for a future none of us can really envision, but prepare them we must. We are all responsible for solutions. We are all in this together.

 

November 2005

Last Maintained 11/14/2005