My Personal Philosophy Of Education

Education is one of the most important things we learn in our lives. As a future educator my personal philosophy is to instill the values of cooperation, fairness and justice into the hearts of our students. Students need guidance and support in many areas of their life. A teacher can make a drastic difference in a child’s life. It is important to teach our future innovators to think critically, help them to see their worth, help the student to engage in the classroom and outside of the classroom. Letting a student have a voice in what they enjoy and what class rules should be can result in a positive learning experience. Creating teacher-student relationships and supporting them in play, passion, and helping them find their purpose will help support them through their failures which are positive learning experiences. Progressivism is a philosophy that supports this type of learning. Teaching academics with a progressivism outlook, it can help students with their outlook on the democratic society. Students can learn how to create their voice, what they believe, and increase their knowledge to achieve their goal along with teacher support.

My overarching philosophy of education is a very simple one: intentional inclusion of everyone and creating a safe haven for all students. In order to accomplish this, the teacher should have a clear understanding of the goal of education, the role of the teacher, responsibilities of the students, roles and opportunities among parents and community member, and the power of knowledge.

Currently, I am responsible for managing the science instructional programs and personnel in a chartered middle school. As a supervisor for the department, I develop/source curriculum materials for teachers and collaborate with them to plan and implement instructional lessons daily. I manage the financial resources for the department and constantly monitor the teaching practices that will impact our organizational goal and vision.

My philosophy for education is for my young students to experience enjoyment, appreciation, and respect every day in my class so they will look forward to attending and participating in school.

While attending North Carolina Central University, I have taken classes that helped me develop the teaching philosophy I want for my future classroom. My philosophy is that no matter their background, all children have the opportunity or learning. Personally, I would love to see students reaching their fullest potential while in my class. It would be my dream to allow children with different learning levels, to be able to work in the same classroom together. This will require heavy amounts of group work, something kids need to learn for the real world. My classroom environment will be a judgment free zone. This will allow for students to freely express themselves and learn at their own pace. When teaching young children one must be prepared for all the frustrations, responsibilities, and challenges. Personally, I believe that all children are capable of learning anything, if they have the appropriate materials and motivation and direction from their teachers. It is up to me to ensure that my students are motivated and excited about learning new things.

When I started my career as a high school science teacher, I had no idea of the extent to which it would impact me and the path it would drive my life down. Many years before, I developed a love for science that began during my sophomore year of high school in chemistry. My teacher was a once-in-a-lifetime teacher that took a subject many found boring finding ways to inspire and motivate. This single class was the true starting point of the long, winding journey to medicine. As I moved on through my high school and college education I searched for a way to stay within science and continue to grow. The clear and only visible answer to me at the time was to be a teacher.

The definition of curriculum can be as mysterious as the curriculum itself. Oliva (2013) described the hunt for the curriculum as being similar to “efforts to track down Bigfoot, the Bear Lake Monster, [and] the Florida Everglades Skunk Ape …” (pg. 2). All of these elusive beings have left tracks, yet there isn’t a single photograph to prove their existence—just like there isn’t one tangible definition for curriculum. Sure, there’s a binder labeled “curriculum,” but that doesn’t mean it’s merely a set of plans. Initially, I believed the curriculum to be something elusive; I loosely interpreted it as the information that should be taught in a given subject and the corresponding objectives or learning intentions. I believed that the “curriculum [could] be conceived in a narrow way as subjects taught (Oliva, 2013, pg. 3). What I was unaware of was the interdependency of curriculum and instruction. I learned that the curriculum is just as reliant on instruction as instruction is on the curriculum. One is “the what” while the other is “the how.” Now, I view the curriculum as more than just a framework of content and standards. It includes “all the experiences that the learner encounters under the direction of the school” (Oliva, 2013, pg. 7). The curriculum is transient. It can be molded, shaped, and restructured to meet the needs of the children

Education is the imparting and acquiring of knowledge and skills through teaching and learning. As an educator, my personal mission statement is to master my subject area in order to serve as a role model for my students thereby producing students who thoroughly understand the subject matter, and who develop holistically. In order to achieve this goal I must have a set education philosophy with a strong Christian worldview. I must also have a general understanding of the different world and education philosophies.

After taking the Educational Philosophies Self-Assessment test, I was able to figure out my referencing scores for my ideal logical instructional principles believed rational of the classification of educational archetypes. The areas of greatest influence in my philosophy of education included Humanism with a total of 21 points, Perennialism and Existentialism with 18 total points in those areas. Essentialism was second with 16 points and Reconstructionism record surveyed. The purpose of schooling is to build productive members of society and the philosophy I scored the highest on reflects the way I see teaching as an entity. Humanism is the theory or belief that learning from the perspective of human potential for growth can shift of influence cognitive dimensions of education for the student. “Humanists also believe that it is necessary to study the person as a whole, especially as an individual grows and develops over the lifespan. It follows that the study of the self, motivation, and goals are areas of particular interest” (Learning Theories, 2016).

Teaching is rough, as rough as the seas on a stormy night, and calm, like that after a storm. To be prepared for all cases a teacher must have a detailed guideline and understanding of their own response and what they deem best. In creating such a resource now, before diving into a classroom, a teacher can have time to develop and broaden their philosophy of teaching—be prepared before they take that fatal plunge. So, in order to be best prepared for my future endeavors as an educator, I believe it is in my best interest to lay out a personal philosophy of education—a lay out that will aid me in times of need and a way to gauge change, progress, and growth through my Simpson College career. In doing so I will be prepared to be the best

To be a teacher, it takes a special type of person. I do not believe that just anyone can become a teacher. When making the decision to become an educator, it says something about who you are as a person. It gives you a firm reassurance that you are influencing and changing the lives of our future leaders, police officers, doctors, etc. A teacher is a friend, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, as well as a parent at times. To be a great teacher, you must possess the following traits and be able to perform the following actions needed to successfully shape the lives of your students: Professionalism, curriculum, teaching methods, classroom management, and assessment.

My teaching style can be best described as one that is student centered. My teaching style incorporates hands on learning and students actively participating in lessons. I believe that students should be able to discover lessons on their own through hands on activity. Also, my teaching style focuses on the idea of enhancing individual development. I believe that students should be actively involved with their education on all levels. My students will be able to make choices about the content they will be learning and how to present their knowledge of the content. It is my belief that evaluation of student learning should varied. While many teachers rely on tests, I believe that students should be given options to give presentations, create posters, and other creative methods that also allow the teacher to gauge their understanding.

It is important to be aware of students with exceptionalities, students from diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds etc. As a future educator, I would make sure all my activities are inclusive to all students e.g., race, ethnicity, sex, physical ability, culture, language, gender, background etc. I would also make sure I support the achievement for all my students, ensuring that students backgrounds and circumstances do not stop them from achieving full benefits. As an educator I will apply what I learned in this course into my teaching practice. Therefore, my hopes and dreams as an educator is to make sure I fulfill all curriculum requirements, but I also teach students the critical skills they need.

Becoming a teacher is not something I always knew I want to do. When it came time for me to start considering what my future career would be, all I knew was that I did not want to be stuck in an office behind a desk every day. I wanted to do something where I could make a positive impact on other people’s lives, and be around sports. I wanted a job that would be interactive, challenging and exciting. While searching for something that would fulfill these goals I found that teaching could do just that as long as I do everything I can to become an effective teacher who contributes to the world in an important way.

The learning experience should be that of a collective nature where students are able to indiscriminately relate to the information, re-teach the information and have a balanced incorporation of all the learning centers in society; including the home and the church. The goal of this incorporation is to create a balanced learning environment that facilitates holistic development in the young mind. As professionals entrusted with the shaping of young minds, teachers must facilitate learning and personal, spiritual, ethical and academic development. My philosophy for education is a multi-part philosophy that encapsulates the idea of holistic and inclusive learning. The philosophy caters for the overall shaping and development of the young mind and includes aspects of balanced training, incorporated teachings and it generally focuses on training students to become teachers.