Stephanie Mackler Teaching Statement

I believe that as human beings we are, foremost, learning and teaching beings. As such, education – whether formal or informal – is at the heart of who we are and how we conduct our lives.  

Thus, I believe that to study education is necessarily also to study the human condition.  I turn to philosophical and literary texts for insight into educational and existential questions.  

My expertise in both philosophy and education enables me to explore the ethical, epistemological, political, and social foundations of educational practices.  More specifically, I am interested in considering the reasons and purposes – the “why” – of educational practices and policies.

There are no definitive answers to the kinds of questions I ask and encourage my students to ask in the classroom, but I believe the journey through such questions is an end in itself and that this journey is essential to being a learning, teaching, human being.