Kevin Lydy's Page

First Name:

Kevin

Last Name:

Lydy

Hometown:

Delaware, Ohio

School/Organization Name:

Dayton Regional STEM School

Job Title:

Educator

City:

Fairborn

State:

Ohio

My Story:

I have had a variety of experiences with education that have lead me to this point in my life. Every job that I have ever had has been, in some way or another, associated with education. I went to Buckeye Valley High School in Delaware, Ohio and then to Wittenberg University. After graduating, I worked as a Hall Director at Manchester College for a year, waiting for my (now) wife to finish school. We both left the U.S. to teach English for two years in Japan. Upon returning, I was a teaching assistant at Miami University while I working toward my M.Ed. My most recent teaching experiences were with Southern Hills Academy in Chillicothe, Ohio and the Ohio Virtual Academy.

I am excited to be a part of a LODS school where I feel I will truly be able to take advantage of my beliefs. I have not had the opportunity to truly reflect on my philosophy lately, but I aim to do so in the coming months. Below is a truncated version that I will put up here for now in hopes of receiving some criticism and helping me solidify my aims as an educator:

Too often children are viewed as empty vessels to be filled with knowledge by educators (what Paulo Freire deems the “banking” concept of education). Not only does this notion totally invalidate the educational system by assuming that students have learned nothing in previous years of schooling, it also presumes educators to be omniscient. This approach has produced students who are waiting for learning to be “done to them” rather than taking responsibility for their own learning. Children possess an overabundance of information, ideas, and questions. Educators, in order to create an environment allowing students to create their own understanding of historical information, must cultivate that overabundance. Additionally, the “factory system” of education, with its focus on rote repetition, obedience and compliance, has reduced its future citizens to credulous workers (Karp, as found in Wood, 1998). Conversely, I believe in a multicultural, social reconstructionist social studies curriculum, seeking to promote inquiry, self-government and active involvement.

My Ideal School is a Place Where:

smiles and laughter permeate.

My Religious Views:

Tie: Agnosticism & Atheism

My Favorite Freedom:

The freedom of dissent.

My Personal Heroes:

My Father

My Favorite Journey:

3-way tie: Climbing Mt. Fuji, Hiking through the Grand Tetons, Swimming in Crater Late

Recommended Reading:

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Angela's Ashes, 'Tis, Teacher Man all by Frank McCourt

Recommended Web sites:

www.thestoryofstuff.com

www.kiva.org

Quotable:

Don't sweat the small stuff.










Everything's small stuff.