In my first year of teaching, a thought-provoking story prompted me to reflect on the profound meaning and value of my work as a philosophy professor:
A person meets three workers at a quarry and asks, “What are you doing?” The first, hopeless, replies, “I’m hammering at stones.” The second, bored, responds, “I’m making money.” The third, fulfilling, says, “I’m shaping stones for building a school where students will learn.” Perceiving the work as merely a repetitive physical activity makes the first unhappy while working. Viewing work just as a source of income makes the second happy only on paydays, not while working. Envisioning work as a social, relational activity enables the third to feel happy while working, as she contemplates how she can produce something that better serves others’ needs.
The book of the story offers further philosophical insights into the meaning of work. We are not merely transforming external objects into products of our labor while working. We are also transforming ourselves, connecting with others, and striving to better the world through our labor, and we can thereby fulfill ourselves.
The story made me ask, “What am I really doing while working as a philosophy teacher?” Some students may attend my class merely to get good grades. I may want to reduce my role as a teacher to merely passing on information and making so many dollars an hour. Then, we might feel like the first or the second quarry workers in the story.
With the realization that it does not have to be this way, I began a quest to build my awareness of the meaning of fulfilling work into my teaching.
The question “What am I doing while teaching?” is inevitably followed by another question, “What should I teach to better serve the needs of students?” My teaching goal has been shaped by what I yearned to learn as a student.
During my college years, the most profound learning experience came from discovering that beliefs I had accepted as unquestionably true were actually unexamined assumptions, biases, or dogmas, absorbed from conventional thinking. For instance, I was taken aback to encounter that “women are not born but made,” so some feminine traits, which I once believed were innate, might be imposed through pervasive social constructs or gender ideologies.
Such realizations caused me an uneasy feeling that if I were to continue living an unexamined life, I would be like the very prisoners in Plato’s allegory of the cave. My unease grew upon realizing that some of my unexamined prejudices might endorse unjust policies and inadvertently contribute to the suffering of others. I couldn’t stand the thought of living like an intellectual prisoner or as an implicit contributor to unjust systems. My existential discomfort drove my passion to learn “to do philosophy” and to challenge and scrutinize my unexamined beliefs. Thus, I came to view learning as an endless journey to free myself from my personal and societal ‘caves.’
This process led to another insight into learning. Firstly, emancipatory learning can be achieved by cultivating critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which enable me to distinguish between what is reasonable and unreasonable. Just as the prisoners in Plato’s cave need to break their chains to turn away from caves, I too should turn away from my unexamined beliefs. Secondly, this type of learning contributes to transforming ourselves. If I had never been confronted with the idea that women are made, not born, I might have never chosen to become a philosophy teacher because I would have been discouraged by the prevailing societal biases at the time that women were not suited for philosophical pursuits.
As a teacher, it’s exciting to see the same spark of curiosity and eagerness in my students. This shared curiosity inspired me to pursue my teaching goal: offering students a transformative learning experience by equipping them with philosophical thinking skills that empower them to critically examine their own beliefs and step out of their own intellectual caves.
To achieve my teaching goals, I’ve embraced a student-centered approach, guided by “the learning pyramid.” This approach, which fosters active student engagement, enhances the cultivation and transfer of critical thinking skills:
Lectures and demonstrations yield only a 30–50 % skill attainment, with a 5–10% transfer rate. However, integrating discussions, practice exercises, and feedback can increase skill attainment and transfer to 80–90%. When students teach each other, these rates can reach 90–100%.
Guided by this insight, I focus on fostering student-centered classrooms in the following ways.
Firstly, I see myself as a midwife in teaching, as outlined in my syllabus:
- Critical thinking skills cannot be simply transferred from teachers to students. Those skills, already conceived within you, can be birthed and nurtured through your own practice and efforts. My role is that of a midwife, assisting you in birthing and cultivating such skills through guidance and support. Therefore, your active engagement and participation are crucial in this journey.
- Keep in mind that without the pains of labor, we cannot experience the joy of giving birth. Throughout this semester, I look forward to sharing with you the joy of achieving intellectual growth that comes through the challenges.
Secondly, I incorporate various student-centered activities into teaching. Examples include:
- Weekly responses and reflections on reading materials and class activities
- Problem-solving argumentative essays
- Philosopher role-play debates
- Group video project on “marginalized” voices in our non-ideal world
These activities allow students to do philosophy, to offer and receive peer feedback, to examine their own and others’ beliefs, to teach and learn from each other, and to be a midwife to each other.
Lastly, I make special efforts to foster an inclusive classroom environment for several reasons:
- Empowering underrepresented voices: Voices underrepresented in our society often go unheard and silenced in classrooms, as well. When students feel included and respected, they are more likely to share their unique thoughts and perspectives.
- Challenging implicit biases: Discussions dominated by only mainstream voices can perpetuate unexamined biases. Exposure to diverse viewpoints encourages students to challenge their stereotypes and confront prejudices.
- Ensuring equal learning opportunities: Inclusivity is essential for all students to develop their philosophical skills, especially for those who might feel marginalized.
To support students facing personal or social barriers, I aim to establish a classroom where every student feels secure and valued, able to freely express their opinions.
Student feedback reveals their transformative learning journeys during my teaching. Seeing students examine their beliefs and empower themselves from silent observers to active participants is gratifying. They are learning like fulfilling third quarry workers. This sentiment is amplified by hearing from former students who, years after leaving college, nurture what they birthed in my class. It helps me realize that their journey doesn’t end with my semester, but my teachings can stay with them. Recognizing that a student’s successful learning experience can be a teacher’s successful teaching experience, I joyfully return to the reflection of the values of my work as a teacher.
Teaching in college, I am humbled by my immense responsibility of engaging with highly open and receptive minds. I am not working on inanimate objects. I am interacting with dynamic subjects who are feeling, understanding, reflecting, and continuously growing. When my time with students ends, their philosophical lives begin, as they continue to examine their beliefs in their future lives. I envision my students as philosophical parents who will better nurture their children with philosophical wisdom, as philosophical citizens who will vote for more democratic and just policies, and as philosophical professionals—whether as teachers, farmers, policemen, chefs, and lawyers—who will better serve other people through their philosophically mediated professional work.
What am I really doing while teaching philosophy? I will continue to do my best to assist students in cultivating the critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for them to lead their reflective lives. I feel fulfilled that I contribute to shaping the world for the better through my students’ lifelong examined beliefs and future work by helping them have productive learning experiences in my class.
At times, I feel frustrated when I have to overwork and feel that my work is underpaid relative to the efforts and values I contribute. It’s also disappointing when my teaching is underappreciated, or when things don’t proceed as planned. It leads me to recognize that unfavorable working conditions could be impediments to the realization of meaningful work, so it’s important to advocate for institutional changes to better shape and support our work, while also continuing pedagogical growth as a teacher.
Still, despite occasional frustrations and systematic challenges, reflecting on the meaning and values of my work as a teacher rekindles my passion. It reaffirms that teaching is something I want to do with my life and can pursue with enthusiasm and passion, while remaining conscious that our shared passion for teaching should be more effectively realized with structural improvements in our working conditions.
An early, lengthier version of these reflections on teaching has previously been published in Korean as “My Teaching Philosophy” in PhilCulture.
The Professor Reflection Series of the APA Blog is designed to center attention on how professors engage in teaching and learning. Professors are asked to reflect on how to improve teaching and learning in higher education. We would love for you to be a part of this project. Please contact Series Editor, Dr. Samuel Taylor at staylor@tuskegee.edu.
