Document Type

Book

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

A basic question to ask about a teacher's worldview is whether or not he or she likes to be with students. Is a student's question at the teacher's desk an interruption of the teacher's work, or is it part of the teacher's work? A teacher's unspoken and spoken responses to such a question will reveal some parts of that teacher's worldview. For example, what subterranean currents regarding gender, skills, disabilities, and race affect a teacher's response to a particular student? Reflecting on worldviews in general and on one's own worldview-with all its classroom-related particulars-can help teachers understand better why they do some of the things they do and why they resist some of the things they resist.

Reflection on worldviews will never cure all the il ls that any group of teachers might list on a given Friday afternoon in a coffee shop or bar. But worldviews shape our philosophies of education and our educational ideals, ultimately driving our day-to-day classroom practices. To fo llow up on th is chapter, in Chapter 6 we turn to questions of teachers' philosophies of education and their educational ideals.

Comments

Originally published in How Good Teachers Thrive: Flourishing Long Term in a Noble Profession. Bloomsbury, 2026. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/how-good-teachers-thrive-9781475874716/

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