Teaching Philosophy and Plato's Cave

Teaching is a journey. This has been understood for millenia. In the great beginnings of academia, our greatest philosophers understood the immensity of the power of knowledge. Plato’s allegory of the cave is highly representative of this strength and how it applies to education. 

Right before one enters the classroom, they have already been chained to the wall in a cave of ignorance by their peers and society. The first step towards escaping this cave is walking through the threshold of the classroom. This first step shows that they have an inkling that they are metaphorically halted from some kind of knowledge. This is the first tug of their chain. 

All of their life, they have looked only at the vastly incomplete shadows of what this classroom provides. Their parents tell them what to believe. Their peers tell them what to say. Their leaders tell them what to do. On average, none of these directives are based on books, on science, or on truth. 

These shadows are opinions using the carcasses of their own journeys as masks of truth. Through the windows of the other rooms, parents, peers, and leaders cajole them to not tug on the chain. They tell them they are safe here. They say the outside world is scary and mean. The masks of carcasses keep them warm. Not listening to these voices and keeping their focus on their professor is the second tug of the chain. 

The voices get louder and angrier, but the student needs to know what is past these chains. There is something more out there. They can feel it. They can sense it. Yet doubts creep in. “But…my friends…they’ll think I’m stupid.” “My parents and I will think differently.” “My leaders will become foes.”

The professor closes the window, shuts the door, and downs the blinds. The student breathes a sigh of relief. Quiet. Peace and quiet. The teacher begins to teach. The third tug. This last tug breaks the chain from the wall. It turns out the chains were not as strong as the student thought. It was the other people holding him back 

 Through the lesson, the student is guided out of his cave and into the bright splendor of the true world. The light hurts the student's eyes. The teacher extols the student. “You are doing so well.” “One foot after another.” “I am so proud of the progress you have made.” This helps the student to keep going. 

Sometimes the student looks back at the cave. His eyes, still hurting from the sun, hope to go back to the safety of the dark. “It was so fun just sitting on my couch and watching the olympiad.” “I can get all I need to know from the oracle.” “There’s a war. The leaders want me over there.” 

The teacher had begun with a surplus of curriculum overwhelming the student, inspiring their endearment of the cavern behind them. The teacher turns down the fire. Now the student can see the stars and the globe in the sky is no longer bothering him. He feels a strange kind of warmth. The little bulbs in the sky remind him that he is not alone in his quest for knowledge. He keeps on. “I’m ready, professor.” 

The bright sky comes back. The student’s eyes are ready. He now notices the intricacies of the river, the clouds, and the mountains. He sees the little patterns in the leaves at his feet. The song of the birds sounds sweet to him. 

He continues on the never-ending quest of knowledge, happy with every new nugget of truth he finds. The professor is proud of him. Ready to make him his protege. 

The student remembers the others back in the cave. Their words no longer egg on his mind. He remembers the weary humdrum of their innocence. Every bit of knowledge he earns inspires him to go back to the cave and teach them the truth of the outside. 

I am that student. I was once chained to that cave believing in shadows. My professors were the archangels leading me toward the light of truth. Now, as I finish my last semester of my Master’s program, I want to become an archangel just as my professors were for me. I want to earn my doctorate and become a cherubim of light to those waddling in the darkness. 

To prepare for being a full-time professor, I have been a substitute teacher at high schools and I will be applying to be a temporary part-time professor at ASU this spring. Being a substitute teacher is an interesting experience. Many of the students pass the threshold and try that first yank at their chain of ignorance. Yet, there are many students who do not break the chain. They are stuck, focused instead on video games or gossip.

 I try to explain the excitement of English, Mathematics, and Science, but to no avail. Most would rather live in ignorance. “With English, you can write stories and inspire change, recite Shakespeare to your love and entertain, and become more professional sounding and intelligent to your employers.” “With Mathematics, you can prepare for coding and make apps and websites, become an engineer and create rockets, and learn the math of economics to make more money.” “With Science, you can help in the battle to cure cancer, learn about animals and become like the Crocodile Hunter, and study the stars in your quest to be an astronaut.” Sometimes this works. Sometimes there is a new light in their eyes. Those who see the light are those who will march to the hallowed halls of academia. 

Throughout my time teaching in the mormon church from when I believed in their god (that process of agnosticism was a long journey in and of itself) and as I substitute throughout the valley, my teaching philosophy has been the same. It follows what Merle Whaley said, “Education is like an eagle soaring. Where it goes, no one knows, but the continuous flight is all important.” Just like the trope of leaving the cave, an eagle has to begin flapping its wings to see the clouds in the sky and the food beneath. 

When I work with students, I give them knowledge little by little, accompanied by applicable stories to help them remember what they are learning. It is important to pair knowledge with something exciting to keep their attention and to help their brain process it. 

It is up to them to flap their wings or continue to walk through the valley outside the cave. I will encourage them and tell them how far they have come, how great they are doing, and to remember the goal ahead. It is important to encourage them so they will not head back to the cave, or stop flapping their wings and fall to the ground below. Encouragement is especially important when they see any demerits which remind them of the right knowledge. They need to see what is not in line while also being reminded that they are doing well and to keep on going with their head up and head forward. 

Every journey of education has two goals. One of these goals is never ending. The first goal is to procure the degree. This is the easiest of the two. The second goal is to learn everything possible about the subject you are pursuing. Every scholar knows that there is a never ending amount of books to read, so this second goal will never be realized. What every scholar also knows is that this second goal is not meant to be finished, it is meant to be enjoyed. And when you enjoy something, you want to share it with the world. 

I want to share the enjoyment of language and humanities with students and with the world. Humanities is meant to enlighten the human character and open our eyes to the struggles, beauties, and strengths around us. Through my research and collaboration with other professors, I will fly throughout the sky like the eagle showing the people below with the flaps of my wings how this knowledge leads us toward the stars. In the classroom, I will hold the curriculum like a lantern taking the students outside of their caves of ignorance into the galaxy of truth. 

Education will continue to advance the world. Through education, the earth has gained Einstein, Goodall, Marquez, Aristotle, Malala, Darwin, Plath, and a continually growing number of people who will fight against ignorance and hatred to be beacons to their peers. I will continue working to be one of the beacons toward a glorious future. I hope to be one of these beacons at your university. I hope to be one of the many educators that continue to mend minds thereby mending the entire world.