Week 10 Obligations as a Scholarly Teacher

In pulling together the three courses of thought regarding what is a scholarly teacher, the issues of learning knowledge and truth (epistomology) and the ethics of teaching, I found it important to consider each area as obligatory considerations in order to mature as a teacher.
The philosophy and theory of teaching have far reaching considerations and implications for the teacher who wishes to strive for self actualization, function with excellence and be fully cognizant of students' needs, demands and growth.
My concept of what is a student is formed by studied literature and reasearch, personal experience as a student in observing students while I teach them. The analogy of explorers in an area that is foreign or so vast that the area requires further exploration can be applied to students exploring an under-sea garden. The teacher can be envisioned as an eight armed octopus juggling multiple roles such as educator, course administrator, mentor, supervisor, faculty member, professional expert, etc. In active teaching the eight arms could be seen as manipulating the learning media, fielding questions, using various teaching approaches, providing feedback, maintaining a safe environment, acquiring persoanl learning, etc.
Regardless of the metaphor, a teacher must be conscious of the holistic nature of education and the obligations attached to this important role.
Two considerations that really came to the forefront for me were acknowledging and ethically weighing hidden agendas and determining assumptions underlying knowledge claims.
It is important for me to continuously develop my identity as a scholarly teacher by being grounded in critical reflection and holding myself up objectively to the rigorous standards. These are obligations to self as a scholarly teacher.
In exploring if learning in nursing (education) could be objectively measured, I discovered more specifically how important operational definitions are in determining what "measuring" means. I made the error of defining the term measurement through the help of professors and peers yet quickly falling back on the common, less specific use of the term in discussing the posed question. I also learned that the specific competencies are subjectively based and are generally measured by performance and behavioural criteria that are judged by others (subjective). The use of  competencies in order to determine whether or not a nurse should be licensed, continue to practice or require further education was not nearly as objective as I had been lulled into believing! That was unsettlling. I struggled. I grew.
Further exploration into the theories and philosophy of scholarly teaching lead me down a path of discovery into the necessity of ethics. I eventually developed a list of what my hidden agenda exists of and it is all centred on goodness. This tangential thought regarding ethics lead through the leadership of professors and peers' insights, questions and inquiries to exploring my mega beliefs, espcially in the origin of goodness. I was especially intrigued when Prof Potter shared that Plato espoused the idea that mankind is aware of goodness prior to taking on boldily form. I argued that an infant and even a two year old is quite selfish, thus adults need to learn somewhere along the line to consider others and strive for what is helpful, useful, and desireable for mankind; in other words to learn goodness. I argue that base human nature is selfish thus goodness comes from a higher level of existence, from a higher power. I cited the only human example I am aware of in the written word who epiomizes goodness and that is Yashua who did no evil, was called the sinless one, and represented the higher power of that source of goodness.
My obligations as an ethical, scholarly teacher stem from what I espouse as my mega beliefs. In attempting to determine whether nursing can be measured objectively, I found that what I considered as true was actually less rigorously defensible than I had originally thought. In exploring my own posed question and following my 4 classmates blogs, I found that there is rarely any specific, right answer to high level (Rasmussen type) questions.
It is fascinating that it seems there is a level of faith required to believe any set of ideas. In the last class Jules quoted the bible: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32). When science has not shown or cannot measure (and I use that term precisely) goodness, and researchers can only speculate about it, yet I have found full assurance that the freedom in knowing the Truth about goodness must be learned from the higher source of Goodness. That learning can come by teachers who have learned goodness, through the ancient words (Logos) about goodness, and by directly experiencing goodness and learning about it by a direct relationship with Yahweh God (via Yashua His son) himself.
My obligations are to God by functionning in goodness in all my dealing with others as a scholarly teacher and as a person. When my base human self gets in the way, I have faith to believe that the grace of God will cover my many shortcomings through His goodness.
The foundations of scholarly teaching stem from a system of beliefs: mega beliefs, beliefs about who I am as a scholarly teacher, how I conceive of students, what the relationship between teacher and students looks like, what is knowledge and what ethical considerations must be heeded.