“Teacher, what is your will?”

A teacher's day always begins with a lesson, but the roots of that lesson lie within the teacher's philosophy.
"Why I Teach" is a book that brings together the questions, reflections, and learning moments that teachers in the Gyeongnam region have accumulated over the past decade, as well as the vivid learning moments that came to life in the classroom.
This book is not a practical guide that teaches teaching techniques or skills.
I ask you first.

“Teacher, what is your will?”

The book states that the moments of turmoil and burden as a teacher, the deep emotions gained from encountering children, the philosophical conversations with colleagues, and the essence of learning discovered through reflection on classes... all of these were small steps toward a teacher's "philosophy."
So, when you open this book, instead of simply reading success stories, you'll be deeply exposed to the wounds, courage, relationships, love, and struggles that teachers have personally experienced.
It's like a scene where a teacher confesses that he wanted to keep his class completely hidden because it was being evaluated.

“I feel like I can finally let go of the classes I’ve been holding so tightly.”

This book is a record of that very moment.
A book that shows how philosophy changes a teacher's life and how that change illuminates the lives of children.
And it is a book that gently holds the hand of teachers so that they can regain their “desire to teach again.”

Philosophy is my enlightenment through reflection, my intention to achieve through classes, and the value and meaning I hope to impart to the world through education.

--- p.13

Such reflections can better incorporate philosophy into new practices, enhance the educational impact of the class, and allow teachers to continuously grow.
If a teacher's philosophy or vision is clear, and if they reflect it in their classes and continue to reflect on it, their educational ability will continue to grow.

--- p.18

One thing I was able to discover through these questions and prayers is that the 'value and dignity of my existence' is not given by people outside of me, but is cultivated from within me.

--- p.36

Not only teachers, but all faculty and staff had time to share their philosophy.
We, each with different jobs and characteristics, sat together in the same space.
As we went back, we told our stories.
Everyone listened.
A warm feeling lingered, as if spring had already arrived.
In that way, ‘philosophy’ connected us who were different from each other.
As we each shared our philosophies, we became one, even though we were different.


We all have a philosophy.
So, anyone can have a philosophical conversation.
Through that conversation, the country can stand upright as an entity.
With my identity established, I move forward straight in my own direction without being swayed by my surroundings.
Children and parents who are touched by the teacher's philosophy also grow together within that meaning.
Philosophy is the starting point from which education begins.
So, what we need is reflection to find our own philosophy, conversations to ask and answer questions about philosophy, and seminars to share philosophy together.

--- p.77

Answering the question wasn't the end.
The question, once asked, resurfaced and asked again after many classes that I had 'just' done because they seemed fun, because I thought I could do well, because I liked them, all year long.
And a year later, I was able to answer that the philosophy that permeated not only 'that class' but all the classes I and we took was 'democratic citizenship.'

--- p.80

Thinking back now, I don't think I wanted to be evaluated that way.
Because my philosophy didn't ask why I did it that way, but only the content and method.
After the interview, my thoughts changed.
Now I feel like I can finally let go of my tightly wrapped class.


“Teacher, why did you teach that class?” This question is not new to teachers, but it was a question that changed me as a teacher.
And it was an uncomfortable question.
This was because the question was not simply about the class objectives, but rather the teacher's goals, and I was unable to readily answer.
Because I didn't like to sit still and not answer, I borrowed someone else's words and said, "This is a class where children take the lead."

--- p.83

Teachers have been reduced from beings with expertise to objects of enlightenment that must cultivate expertise.
The will to not be evaluated by an 'objective' standard that loses its intention and context has returned to teachers as a sense of guilt for being content with the status quo and giving up on growth.
What does it take for a teacher to not be afraid to talk about class? I think what Professor Ahn Hyun-jung wanted to show was not the class itself, but the philosophy that sustains a seemingly strange class.

--- p.84

Perhaps that's why? Unlike the conventional approach, which required teachers to share grand philosophies out of context and isolated themselves, which was met with resistance, interviews and seminars, which provided a platform for teachers to express their personal philosophies and be heard, have become increasingly popular through word of mouth.
Meanwhile, the teachers were curious about the interview process and how they overcame such difficulties.
I was curious about how the interview would be conducted so that the teacher presenting at the seminar could interpret and speak about educational activities through his or her own philosophy through philosophical reflection, and furthermore, whether he or she could be a teacher who shines with his or her very existence.

--- p.87

The interview was a process of immersion that the two people built up as they shared stories about the teacher's classes.
After a question-and-answer conversation that lasted until we were stuck, a philosophy emerged.
It was clearly a conversation about the teaching experiences and thoughts of Professor Seo Min-cheol, who was being interviewed, but the interviewer helped him discover an inner philosophy that he was not even aware of.
--- p.91

My teaching philosophy is 'being alive'.
To me, being alive is warmth in relationships, actively questioning and responding to external stimuli, and the subjective struggle to find freedom while resisting invisible power.
A space where children feel comfortable and accepted, no matter what they are, makes educational encounters warmer and gives children the courage to express themselves openly.


The active and subjective wriggling that blooms within it becomes a thrill toward a new world, and makes you think positively about yourself and feel 'alive'.
To achieve this change, I, as a teacher, must first become my ‘raw’ self.
I, too, remember that I was once a student, and I remember the irony of the world I felt back then and the suffocation I felt in the classroom.

--- p.201

Loving is approaching someone as a person before they are a student.
Loving is approaching a child as a human being before being a teacher.
For a sick child, empathy for the pain they are experiencing comes first, rather than a sense of obligation.
So, we need to let go of the responsibility that has been erased from children and let go of the sense of duty that teachers have to teach.

--- p.327

It was a matter of the child governing himself and becoming peaceful.
The teacher reflected at that moment and set the path to practice with the philosophy within himself.
And it made the child reflect.
I tried to separate emotions and reason.
The angry child separated his reason from the passion of his emotions and used that reason to control his emotions.
The teacher gave up teaching, and the student gave up learning.
It simply created a moment for the child to look into his or her own inner self, and in that way, teacher and student were connected through trust.

--- p.322

While countless innovative discourses, such as student-centered instruction and professional learning communities, are flooding schools, the fundamental questions of "Who is a teacher?" and "What does it mean to be a teacher?" are often forgotten.
However, since all educational changes are ultimately interpreted and implemented through the existence of teachers, the teacher's philosophy becomes the starting point of all these changes.
A teacher's philosophy summons forgotten inner values ​​and connects and interprets fragmented educational activities, such as classes and classroom management, into a single context.
When the philosophy is clear, the teacher's practice has a clear direction, and the teacher's intention is reflected in the strategy, which provides the center of educational activities.

--- p.363