Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Education

Our current educational initiatives, NCLB and “Race to the Top”, are competitive models that reward victory and punish defeat. In order to win the “Race to the Top” we have to hope or plan that our fellow students and teachers as well as our neighboring states and schools, will fail. “Race to the Top” therefore insures that we will be a nation of losers and that we will be pitted against our fellow citizens.

We must engender a more cooperative spirit, one that does not endorse an ‘us vs. them’ mentality in which it is believed that the ‘them’ are taking away from the ‘us’.

We need to reframe our educational philosophy into a model that values each student for his or her individuality and uniqueness, that prepares the student with confi dence and pride for the worlds of social and civic work, and for the personal and professional relationships they will enter upon graduation. We need to value the whole child and address key issues that influence our ability to find happiness in accordance with the essence of what it means to be human: satisfying interpersonal relationships, satisfaction in work commensurate with our interests and skills, and satisfying participation in our civic and political spheres, in other words, to achieve the highest standards of intellectual, social, emotional, physical and spiritual health.  –Louis Mazzullo

When I Am 21

Drawing perspective from over 30 years of experience in the fields of pedagogy and evaluation, “Philosophy of Education” author Louis Mazzullo bares his newest nonfiction that tackles the need for the nation to readjust its goals for abused and neglected adolescents who have been placed in residential treatment centers. “When I Am 21” (published by AuthorHouse) came into being while Mazzullo worked with such students. The book is a compilation of writings containing students’ output to the topic, When I Am 21, as they were encouraged to write whatever they wished for, for when they turned 21. Their responses reveal insights into the aspirations and needs of this particular population that necessitate an immediate refocusing of our educational goals.