1. MUHSINAH L. MORRIS, PH.D
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Spelman College, Department of Chemistry, Job Code TF0609
Poet Wisława Szymborska speaks on inspiration by stating, “…there will always be a certain group
of people whom inspiration visits…those who’ve consciously chosen their calling and do their job
with love and imagination. Their work becomes one continuous adventure as they…keep discovering
new challenges… Difficulties and setbacks never quell their curiosity [but] a swarm of new
questions emerges from every problem that they solve. …inspiration is…born from a continuous “I
don’t know [but I want to know, I have to know].”
The philosophical words of Wisława Szymborska resonate with me because I know that teaching
science is my calling. I love learning, teaching, and science unequivocally. My constant not
knowing leads me to a place of wanting to know more. Therefore, I have always challenged my
students to push through their perceived failures in order to merit the true reward of their
academic labors.
Teaching science is my calling because I have the unique ability to reach the knowledge center of
students even through their hesitancy and fear. No matter the other deficits or gaps in learning, I
have always been able to relate to my students and to allow them to be a part of a conversation
that they believed was beyond their grasp.
I have always loved science and I have always been a great science student. However, not
everyone is and I acknowledge that. I do know that while there may be a slight stroke of genius to
my understanding, 99.9% is totally curiosity, effort, and a doggedness of determination that refuses
to give in.
My motto for teaching is “rapport before report” and it stems from the philosophy of Carl R. Rogers
whereby learning is dependent upon the relationship between the facilitator and the learner. In
order for learning to be effective, it is imperative that I get to know as much about my students as
I can before I try to fit their learning into a mold of teaching that may not fit. Furthermore, the
student must feel as if she can be heard by the instructor. The aforementioned motto means that I
build a rapport with my students before I ask them to perform one singular, instructional duty. I do
this by asking them things about themselves through multiple intelligence tests as well as a
learning style inventory. At this point, the students have warmed up to the idea that I am
interested in not just teaching them but knowing them. It builds trust between us; therefore, the
students are able to trust that I will lead them to a place of greater understanding.
I am flexible in my planning and implementation of lessons. Having been flexible has proven to be
the hallmark of my success in the classroom. It is the reason that managing my classes is
effortless. I am transparent about how I acquire information and I allow my students to share the
experience of acquiring knowledge with me rather than for me.
Moreover, I have learned to include all stakeholders in the learning process, which includes the
global community as well. Consequently, as an educator, I have a responsibility to facilitate
learning in such a way that it becomes infectious and the knowledge passed along the way is
carried beyond the classroom but into every facet of life. The overall mindset for this is to create
a more scientifically literate world, one student at a time.