Personal Philosophy of Health Education
My personal philosophy on health education draws heavy inspiration from the principles of holism, social justice, democratic teaching, advocacy/activism, and teaching for thinking. I believe each of the aforementioned principles are capable of realizing the end goal of health promotion/education: conferring peace.
Holism
Rash (1985) explicates that “physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being are so interrelated” (pg. 8). He explains that “failure to maintain symmetry through neglect of any aspect of health [e.g. physical, emotional, spiritual, and social] results in an unbalanced individual. Thomas (1984) expounds on this ideology. He examines the relationship between the four aspects of health mentioned by Rash (1985) and the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and soul. Such philosophies inspire my personal philosophies on health education. I believe the essence of health education is grounded in the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and soul. Such grounding has the potential to yield positive health behaviors that improve physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being.
Social Justice
Recent research suggests that broader economic, social, and environmental forces are the predominant determinants of many diseases and behaviors that contribute to ill health. Freudenberg (1982) expounds on this research; he illustrates that health educators are able to yield positive public health outcomes for vulnerable populations by eliminating systemic barriers that unjustly suppress minorities from advancing socially and economically in society. Thus, according to Freudenberg (1982), health educators should adopt a philosophy of health education that seeks to change social systems rather than changing individual behaviors. I believe it is my duty as a health educator to enact social change as previously described.
Democratic Teaching
Giroux (2000) explicates that knowledge is mainly acquired through social processes—processes wherein culture, context, and community are logically and philosophically active. Such an approach to knowledge acquisition facilitates a learner’s ability to critically think about health as it relates to a person and their individual circumstances. Fenstermacher (1999) suggests that the goal of democratic education, therefore, is for students to actively participate in the construction of knowledge rather than simply consume it. Glickman (1999) also upholds the democratic importance of engaging and including students in the development of learning activities, topics, and goals. Nutbeam (2000) expounds on the importance of democratic teaching. His views center on what he terms, “critical literacy.” He illustrates that a health literate person is concerned with knowledge and interpersonal relationships in addition to social justice, equity, and involvement. He justifies that health education, therefore, should seek to establish these qualities in young learners. I believe it is our duty as health educators to encourage democratic learning as characterized by Giroux (2000), Fenstermacher (1999) Glickman (1999), and Nutbeam (2000). I believe health educators, therefore, are responsible for (1) inspiring learners to guide their own education journeys, (2) engaging learners in their interests as they pertain to health and wellness, and (3) fostering learner's appreciation to and recognition of social justice and equity.
Advocacy/Activism
Noreen M. Clark (1994) states that “we [as health educators] have to create leadership and shape the flow of change… we have to exercise leadership and help to develop it in others” (pg. 60). Clark proceeds to describe a health educator’s role as an activist—someone who stands up to systems of injustice. I full-heartedly agree with Clark’s characterization of a health educator. I believe that we, as health educators, are responsible for eliminating barriers and easing burdens proliferating unhealthy behaviors in minority communities and vulnerable populations. Systemic problems such as racism, sexism, agism, and ableism are deeply rooted in American culture. I believe it is our duty as health educators to bring light to these inequities and actively work to eliminate them.
Teaching for Thinking
Keyser & Broadbear (1999) explain that the art of critical thinking popularized by the Greek Gang of Three—Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle—is not being taught in American schools today. They explain that the primary emphasis for modern education has been content transmission and teacher-centered instruction rather than teaching thinking and learner-centered instruction. Keyser & Broadbear (1999) exclaim that the primary focus of modern instruction, thus, fails to bear the real fruits of education, “the thought processes that result from the study of a discipline, not the information accumulated” (pg. 111). I believe health educators are responsible for developing learning environments and facilitating learning experiences as previously characterized by Keyser & Broadbear (1999).
Conferring Peace:
The Ultimate Goal
There is general consensus across the political spectrum that removing underlying root causes—poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and totalitarian and repressive regimes—is vital to preventing several forms of HD1—deaths resulting from war, terrorism, intentional environmental assaults, intentional famine, intentional chronic hunger and poverty, intentional racism, and murder of other minority groups. To combat the aforementioned underlying root causes perpetuating today’s systemic challenges, Leviton (2002) proposes establishing and preserving peace. He characterizes health education and health promotion (HEHP) as the fields most adept for becoming global players in the quest for peace. He exclaims that the foundations of HEHP are rooted in political education, advocacy, and activism, all of which confer peace on communal, national, and global scales. I concur with Leviton (2002). I believe HEHP professionals are responsible for realizing peace.