My Philosophy, My Mission
I firmly believe that children and adults can succeed in life and in education when they are supported and encouraged by educators who genuinely care about them. I have more than two decades of teaching experience and I know this for myself and I know this for the thousands of students that I have had the privilege of teaching since the late 1990’s. I am also the daughter of two parents who have loved her genuinely. My parents are not perfect, but, I know that they cared about me, and even when we were uncomfortable and challenged as a family. Today, I can say with assurance that my parents have loved me as best as they could in their own way. First and foremost, it was their love that gave me the confidence that I needed to succeed in life.
I also believe that it is important for black women and men to be respected in professional settings; for me, this means they must not be treated as invisible; they must be seen AND heard. It is important for everyone in the workplace to acknowledge the humanity of all coworkers on a regular basis. Everyone should be encouraged and welcomed to freely exercise their expressions and treated as fellow travelers, equal partners in the workplace.
When it comes to my approach to teaching, it is my mission to model this philosophy in the classroom by being “fully present” with the children and adults who gather for the purpose of learning and becoming critical thinkers about life and love. I believe it is important to become aware of the importance of love because we see acts of selfishness and hate on the rise. I believe that lives that are empowered by love and compassion will enable us to be courageous even when it is not popular to do so. It is not weak to act with compassion, especially when serving those who are vulnerable or suffering. On the contrary, it takes strength, courage, and patience to love that which has been weakened, abandoned, or deemed unworthy. As an educator, I endeavor to help others develop their critical thinking skills and to respect the humanity of all people. When we do this, we enable others to make sense of the non-sensical. Certainly, it is much better than coming from a place fear, hate and anger. We already know what these expressions can do to us – as a species.
I have had the privilege of teaching at every level, including teaching in communities where the students have not developed the confidence in themselves to learn, to trust their own intellectual abilities. The journey to becoming a critical thinker is no walk in the park. A genuine commitment to teaching those whom others have ignored or abandoned will always be challenged by those who do not want to be challenged intellectually, or by those who wish to diminish or downgrade the humanity of others. Indeed, learning in this environment can be uncomfortable and inconvenient and it is true that academic hierarchy can challenge notions of who “deserves” to be educated. Nevertheless, pursuing education is a noble endeavor, and we know that humans learn the most when they are uncomfortable and challenged by new information. I believe that learning this way is always worth it.
In summary, I believe that good teachers and good learning communities are learning best when they are willing and able to be a little uncomfortable and challenged by the learning process. For this is how most humans learn: when they are compelled to. Becoming an educated person and a literate society are not ideals that are merely given to us; gaining true knowledge will not magically or mysteriously happen or “take care of itself.” On the contrary, we must put forth effort and commitment into the development of our minds, and our actions will reflect what we have actually learned for ourselves. When it comes to teaching and to loving, this is my philosophy and this is my mission. For as the popular 12-step saying goes, “it [only] works if we work it!”
Warmly,
Dr. Annalise Fonza
Updated 10/21/2025
AM CONSULTING, LLC 