Philosophy Of Education Paper

Kaitlyn Connolly!
EDUC 417- Michael Lesch!
November 19, 2014!
Philosophy of Education Paper!
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As with any successful profession, there must be a strong foundation on which

to build upon. This foundation in the field of education is your personal philosophy of education. Successful teaching includes diversity of every student’s backgrounds, and levels of ability. Without losing sight of goals, my beliefs of teaching and learning are very specific. First, I believe every child deserves to receive an education. No matter their race or income, every child deserves to learn. The are innocent beings, and these children are going to be our future someday. More specifically, the philosophy that I would teach to my students would be Cultural Nationalism. “The cultural nationalist teacher focuses exclusively on the experience of the oppressed group as the center or pivot of the curriculum” (Asante, p. 4). I want to use what is going on in the world and focus on their cultural experience. This allows children from oppressed groups to feel nurtured in their school environment day by day. Another philosophy that I have is, I believe a teacher should make learning fun for his/her students. When children are having fun at school, It makes them want to come back and keep coming back. Regular curriculum can get pretty boring. Making the curriculum fun engages the students into learning, and helps them understand it better. Also, I believe in staying involved with professional development so we can continuously learn new things. It is important to me to keep using updated technology

in classrooms. “Matthew Arnold warned that faith in machinery was humankind’s greatest menace” (Postman, p. 36). I do not believe in what Arnold stated. I think that new technology in the classrooms is constantly helping teachers and the whole education process. Next, I believe in striving to have positive relationships with students and parents. It is very important to have somewhat of a personal relationship with your students and their parents. It really shows that you care as a teacher. Developing positive relationships with your students allows you to understand them more. This allows you to figure out the best way to teach each and everyone of your students. There are times when we encounter students that require a little more effort than others. When we are faced with this type of situation teacher must reflect on the true meaning of teaching. This will enable the teacher to embrace the difference in the learning styles of students and allow the teacher to develop innovative strategies for reaching such a diverse population. Teachers should give all students the chance to let their creative juices flow. With a little nudge and some encouragement there is no end to what a student can do. Teachers must realize that the impact that we have on our students last a lifetime. I can always remember being told knowledge is power. This statement has been true for decades and surely will be true in the future. !

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