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My Philosophy of Education By: Paula Thompson Education is not the filling of a pail, but a lighting of a fire .-
William As far back as I can remember I have wanted to be
a teacher. My desire to teach has led
me to develop my very own philosophy of education. I now have various views and opinions when
it comes to how I feel about the structure of learning. My philosophy consists of my beliefs
regarding the purpose of education, how children learn, a teacher’s role in
the classroom, school, and community, and the importance of positive
reinforcement in the classroom. It
also includes how I plan to become an effective teacher. I believe the purpose of education can be
described as a vast amount of varied aspects.
First and foremost, children receive an education to gain
knowledge. I think children should get
the basics out of an education and that, in my opinion, includes reading,
writing, math, science, and history. I
also believe that education should assist students in developing social
skills as well as a healthy, positive attitude toward themselves and
others. Students should learn the
value of making their own choices as an individual and learn a sense of
responsibility for their decisions.
Not only should education inspire a child’s mind to learn, I believe
it should teach a child to form self-identity. We learn to walk by stumbling. – Bulgarian Proverb Children learn by doing and do by learning. I think that children learn from their
teacher as well as their peers. I
believe, however, that a child learns best by repetition. A child learns easily when a subject is
introduced to them more than once. I
think children also learn through interaction with their teacher, especially
if it is one-on-one. A child feels
more important and is more cooperative when he/she receives personal
attention. A child learns accordingly to the
type of environment in which they are placed.
I think a positive environment that includes effective teachers with
an efficient curriculum stimulates children to have a desire to learn. I believe a teacher’s role in the
classroom is not only that of an educator, but also as a guide,
disciplinarian, mediator, and motivator.
I think a teacher plays the role of a guide because he/she is the one
responsible for guiding his/her students down the right path while they are
receiving an education. A teacher is
also the disciplinarian in the classroom.
Rules and standards should be enforced, and I believe it is the
teacher’s role to ensure that his/her students abide by them or suffer the
consequences. When a problem arises in
the classroom, I believe a teacher should be there for mediation. Teachers as mediators can help to identify
and solve any problem that might occur in a situation. Last and certainly not least, a teacher is
a motivator in the classroom. I
believe teachers are the ones who motivate students to learn, participate,
excel, and succeed. In my opinion, a teacher’s job
doesn’t stop when he/she steps out of his/her classroom door. He/she is labeled as a teacher 24/7 and
thus, he/she has roles in the school and in the community. I think that a teacher should act as a role
model for the whole school and not just for the students that he/she may
teach. I believe a teacher needs to
always be positive by working well with other faculty members and parent
volunteers. I also feel that a teacher
should not only encourage student participation in activities, he/she should
get involved as well. I think that attending PTO meetings, or becoming a
coach/sponsor for an organization is a wonderful way for a teacher to
contribute his/her extra time. I also
believe that extra time could be spent in the community where it is the teacher’s
role to advocate for children. In my
opinion, a teacher should be a good citizen and volunteer in his/her
community whenever possible. What we learn with pleasure we never forget. – Alfred Mercier I believe positive reinforcement plays a big part
in education. Teachers themselves
should always maintain a positive outlook, and I think they should offer
praise to students when it is needed.
This rewards students for a job well done and it encourages other
students to try harder. I believe many
students strive to please their teachers and an adequate amount of praise
lets students know just how much they have progressed. In order for positive reinforcement to
exist in a classroom, I think extra measures should be taken to guarantee
students with special disabilities/abilities the same opportunities that
other students receive. I believe
every child should be given a chance to shine and no child should be
discriminated against. A child should
never be singled out and I think it is the duty of the teacher to ensure that
that never happens. A great teacher never strives to explain his vision-he simply invites you to stand beside him and
see for yourself. – Rev. R. Inman There are a variety of strategies that I can use
to become an effective teacher. First
of all, I plan to do a lot of observations.
I hope to observe both high school and elementary school classrooms
with a variety of teachers who incorporate an array of different teaching
techniques. In doing so, I will be
able to stay up to date with the latest teaching methods. To become an effective teacher, I also want
to learn about cultures and traditions of minority students that I might
encounter in a classroom someday.
Along with learning about minority students, I also plan to accumulate
some knowledge on students with disabilities/abilities. By learning about gifted students as well
as students with dyslexia, ADD, etc, I think I can be much more effective in
a classroom. Last of all, in order for
myself to be as effective as possible, I believe I need to understand how to
respect individual differences. When I
reach this understanding, I am confident that I will gain respect from
teachers and students alike. In conclusion, I believe that a person’s philosophy on education says a lot about the individual. My philosophy is based on what I believe to be the purpose of education, how children learn, a teacher’s role in the classroom, school, and community, the importance of positive reinforcement, and how to become an effective teacher. The ideas that I have expressed are my own thoughts and beliefs, and this philosophy will be the foundation of all that happens in my classroom. |