Maxwell Debbas

Technology Leadership Philosophy

The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given
a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson. - Tom Bodot.
I believe that each student has the opportunity to grow in his or her knowledge and skillset if given the proper resources, a caring facilitator, and the freedom to fail. I believe that like
every child, students should have the freedom to play, regardless of age or education level. As
an educator, I do not think I should try and force learning. Instead, I believe that I am
responsible for giving the information and resources necessary for a student to then continue
learning on their own by "playing." It is my duty to facilitate play, by creating class projects,
guiding students through them, and empowering students to solve challenges on their own.
Learning is a choice, and it is an educators responsibility to make that choice as enticing
as possible. Students do not like to be stifled, they should be able to harness their own creativity
by having some level of control on topics or subtopics on assignments. When a student has some
control over the initial idea, they will have more pride in their work, and be willing and be
wanting to learn and do their best. It is my responsibility to motivate my students by finding
ways to keep them engaged, and work with each class to find out what works best for them.
It is crucial for educators to understand that failure is indeed an option, as long as it's not
the end result. Students will never take chances, push themselves, or attempt new and creative
ideas if they are afraid of failure. It must be clearly conveyed to students that they are allowed to
try new things and make mistakes, with the understanding that it is also the educators
responsibility to help them understand what went wrong and how to correct those mistakes.

Maxwell Debbas

Technology Leadership Philosophy

My goal as an educator is to enrich my students lives and future careers, by providing them
with the skills I have found to be most valuable in my field. While there are many specific skills
needed in media production and journalism, there is nothing more important than the art of
storytelling. Helping students reach a deep understanding of what makes a story interesting,
what creates emotion, and what grabs peoples attention is my end result. I also strive to build a
lifelong longing for self-education. My goal in a semester is not to teach everything, it is instead
to teach broad ideas, create interest, and then provide the resources for my students to continue
learning on their own time.
In order to execute my philosophy, I will continue to learn myself. I will personally strive to
learn the most recent and innovative technologies, and how to best implement in a classroom
environment. I will also accrue and create a robust list of resources for students to continue their
self-learning. I will create my own learning resources such as videos and websites specific to
class subjects in order for students to have an ongoing list of tools that will help them study ideas
that are meaningful and relevant to their goals and interests.