Idealism the Teacher Smiles, Full of Joy

Idealism

The teacher smiles, full of joy at the opportunity to teach. As an idealist, he or she embodies the optimal instructor, hearkening to the model of the ancients like Socrates. Classics of philosophy and literature form the basis of the teacher's educational philosophy. Educated at one of the best universities in the nation if not the world, the idealist educator uses his or her educational credentials to pass on wisdom to new and younger students. Serving through example, the educational idealist teaches in the vein of the ancient wisdom philosophies.

Classics, such as the texts of ancient Greece, Rome, India, and China, serve as the fundamental models for teaching. The teacher is at once an authoritarian figure and a friend: one who is hip to the current social norms but also strictly versed in the classics. With one foot in the world of progressivism and the other in the world of classicism, the idealist embodies the perennial teacher.

In the idealist classroom, the teacher brings in gust speakers who can impart personal experience for practical use by the students. Professors from universities, exemplars from the arts or sciences, or business executives, all can serve a similar purpose as role models. Role modeling is the central concept of the idealist classroom and enables the teacher to instruct via example rather than via rote.

The idealist classroom includes video and computer instruction. Multimedia materials enable introduction to role models of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, role models that might not be as visible without the use of multimedia materials. Science and math are not neglected, although they are taught by role models that are inspirational and non-judgmental or culture-specific.

The process and content of the idealist classroom reflect its philosophical ideals. First, the teacher is a role model. No teachers who hate their jobs, who are impatient or intolerant of students with a lack of interest, can be idealist teachers. Rather, a teacher in an idealist classroom allows dissent by engaging the student in meaningful dialogue. The teacher wins each argument because of his or her greater life experience. In other words, through the pains, trials and errors of living, the teacher can help students avoid pitfalls and mistakes.

In the idealist classroom, the teacher might provide biographical material on historical figures. It is optimal that the teacher incorporates female as well as male role models. Even though there have been no female presidents of the United States, the idealist teacher must create meaningful role models for the female students in the classroom. Through examples like Hilary Clinton or Eleanor Roosevelt, the idealist teacher should provide a female as well as a male ideal.

In literature, many female figures offer negative role models. It is up to the teacher to offer female students a means to critique traditional and popular culture. Similarly, non-white ethnic groups must have an ideal to emulate. In classrooms in which the instructor is white, the student body should be offered role models of color. Films, documentaries, blogs, and other educational materials should be included in the idealist classrooms.