Educational Philosophy of Dr. Paul Rux
Abraham Maslow’s classic “Hierarchy of Needs” states my
philosophy as an educator. It builds a
“pyramid” of human needs. At the base is
our need for physical, emotional security.
The next level is our need for healthy social relationships. The top level is “self-actualization,” the
need for us to “sing if we are singers, write if we are writers, and dance if
we are dancers. Successful living is
fully recognizing, respecting, developing, and applying our God-given talents. The person who has fully developed his or her
talents will be able to best transform society for the best than somebody who
has “missed” himself or herself by not fully developing and applying their
God-given talents. “Self-actualization”
is key.
As an educator of adult learners since 1996, onsite and
online, I have come to realize that as a rule students come to us because they
have a “dream,” which, in essence, centers on “self-actualization.” The subject matter is a means to this
end. When I started teaching online in
1999, I found students were more willing to share their “dreams” of
self-actualization with me through the privacy of course emails. Yes, some also factored challenges from lack
of basic security and social support.
More than ever, online “opened my eyes” to the central importance of
“self-actualization” to my philosophy of education and ethical duties as an
educator. I now encourage my online
students to share their career “dreams” with me, as well as their career
history, so I can better energize them with “self-actualization.
Socrates saw this when he noted our first order of business
is to “Know thyself.” To which Maslow
and I add, respect yourself and fully develop yourself. Human needs have not changed over the
centuries, whether it involves Socratic dialogs on a bench or over course
posts, especially private emails. I love
it!
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