Personal Philosophy of Education

My Personal Philosophy of Education
EDU/301
July 6, 2013

In life there are several times that we make a set of guidelines that we want to live by. These are goal in which we hope to achieve. On the other hand, teachers live by a philosophy. We call this our personal guide to living and teaching. Philosophy is defined as a pursuit of wisdom of a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational mean. In the essay I will describe my personal philosophy of education. What I believe is the purpose of education, the student teacher relationship, and the philosophy in which my views are expressed. A teacher’s philosophy is written according to their values, beliefs, actions, and knowledge. My paper will be answering this question “Why do I teach?” Everyone needs education in order to successful in life. When I say education I am speaking of the set up of the class, the classroom environment and the curriculum. Education is not centered to the classroom; it is life, meaning it can take place wherever. As Jean Jacques Rousseau, stated people are educated through experiences and reason, this is what enables them to care and respect others. The purpose of education is to teach students to contribute to the development of skills, talents and knowledge that is needed to perform their role in society. As a teacher, I am the facilitator of learning. I will guide my students and teach them how to access information instead of giving them the information. I will be teaching them how to think by enforcing critical thinking and problem solving skills. They will learn to question, reason, and perform their investigation. With these skills they will be able to teach themselves how to search for information using their thinking skills. A teacher has be someone that the students trust and look up to. A teacher deserves respect and has to learn to maintain control in the classroom. There are several different types of management skills; I have to determine which is best according to my student’s reaction. Learning has to be exciting and fun. The students have to feel enthused and willing to learn. A student must feel that he or she can talk to there teach about anything. Their have to be a friendship. Their must be a connect emotionally, socially, and intellectually. That way the student will give his or her all. Not stopping until his or her goal is met. I must provide a positive environment. All of my students must feel accepted regardless of their differences. The feeling of acceptance can really encourage a student to give his or her full potential. As I work to build a great relationship with my students, I will also work to build one with their parents. Parents play an important role in their child’s life. They are generally the first person that they look at as a role model. There must be a connection between school and home. This is why I believe that the school doors are always open for parent volunteer. I will give the parent plenty of opportunities to come and work along side with their child. A parent should be able to see the progress that his or her child is making and understand the concept enough to assist at home. Each student is unique and different in their own kind of way. It is important that I learn about each individual: the things they like/don’t like, what they find hard/easy, their strengths/weakness, and their way of learning. In order to teach students I must be aware of the different learning styles. In one lesson, I have to catch and hold all of my students attention according to their learning styles. I must have down time where I can work with individuals. I must differentiate lessons to meet every student’s needs. As an educator and a student I vow to never stop learning. There is always space for growth. I am willing to take training and workshop to further my knowledge. Once I complete my bachelors in Early Elementary I plan to get certified in special need. My student will look up to me. It is my responsibility to show them to sky is the limit and all things is possible, but nothing comes easy. I will show them how I communicate with students, parents, co-teachers, and adminstration. They will see how we have to collaborate and work together.

Armstrong, D., Henson, K., & Savage, T. (2009). Teaching today: an introduction to education