My Philosophy of Education
I wrote a philosophy of education paper when I was a sophomore
for my CI 2800 class. I made an A on the paper, but now as a senior
in reflection that paper was pure fluff. Sure, I wrote some of my ideas
about education into my paper; mostly however, I wrote that paper to make
an A. I achieved the goal that I had set for myself, but did I learn
anything in the process about myself? As I sit and write this paper,
I set a new goal for myself: to bring myself into my philosophy paper this
time, to be original, and to be real.
There are several goals that I have set for myself as
a teacher. The most important of these goals is that I will work my
hardest to right with my students the wrongs that I experienced when I was
student. First of all, I will never make a student feel like they are
inadequate in someway. Just as every teacher has different gifts and
talents that they bring to teaching, every student as different gifts and
talents that they bring to the classroom. As a student I was rarely
encouraged to use my gift of language or speaking in math and I believe that
in part from that I struggled in math throughout my educational career and
still struggle to this day. I was made to feel inferior to other students
when it came to math and I always panicked on math tests and going to the
board when working on math in class. I never want my students to feel
inferior in any subject and I am very clear on this subject.
Along the same lines, I never want negativity to work
its way into my classroom, especially negativity from me. Plainly,
math does not come as easy to me as some subjects do, such as language arts
and English. Obviously I will focus a great deal on reading and English
a lot in my classroom, and I think that I can bring a great deal to my students
in this subject area, however I never want my students to see any of the
feelings that I have towards math. I believe that as teachers we must
model everything for our students, book wise and attitude wise. Therefore,
I will approach math with the same vigor and excitement that I approach every
other subject. If for some reason a student saw how I feel about math,
which could ruin the entire subject for them. I never want to influence
my students in a negative manner, I only hope to influence them in positive
ways.
I am going to have to work hard to break myself of the
habit of being afraid of math to make my hopes my reality. I have been
trying very hard in college at math, and though I have suffered several losses,
I have also crossed many obstacles and won many challenges in math.
I want to change my attitude towards math but I never want to forget how
hard math has been for me so I can stay in touch with students who are struggling.
So many times teachers gave up on me, thinking that I would never advance
in math. These teachers in my opinion, had forgotten what it was like
to struggle with a subject. I believe that if I remember what failing
at math felt like to me as a student, I can help my students who struggle
with any subject in a better way.
I also want to love my students. In each student,
I want to always remember to look for the special thing inside that I know
that each and every person has. When I find that part of a child I
want to take that part and learn how to reach out to that student and teach
them in a way that will make that special part inside them blossom.
I will never stifle creativity, and I will never discourage a student to
use their special attribute to help them understand any subject. For
example, if writing a poem about fractions helps a language arts oriented
student I will encourage that child to write a poem about math. Likewise,
if a student who excels in mathematics wants to make an equation up to help
him with grammar, I will encourage that as well. I want to encourage
my students in all everything that they pursue.
I will be real with my students. When I say “real”
I mean that I want to let my students see that I am a real person who makes
mistakes and takes chances. I want my students to know that teachers
aren’t above them on another level, but right beside them working with them
on their level. I want my students to feel as if they can come and
talk to me about anything, and that I won’t lash out at them, but try my
best to understand with them and empathize with them.
On the same note, I want my students to be real with me.
I want to begin from day one telling my students that I am always there for
them as a listener, because sometimes everyone just needs someone to listen.
I want to be that person for my students, especially when there isn’t someone
at home to talk to. I don’t plan to have a traditional desk for this
very person. I would much rather just sit at a round table, which opens
me up for discussion and conferences with anyone who needs me. This
may sound a tad bit untraditional, however I believe that when I am open
to students, they will be more open to me and more willing to learn what
it is that I am teaching them.
In conclusion, my philosophy of education is still a
work in progress. It has changed a lot since I was a sophomore for
it has been molded by professors, teachers, and recently, students.
My ideas are continually changing, shaping up, and becoming stronger and
more rooted. I believe that this is important for a teacher as well.
In my opinion, one’s philosophy of education shouldn’t be some document that
never changes. A philosophy is a living idea, one that must change
and perhaps even be proven or disproved. As teachers we must learn
new ways to teach our students, new ways to advance as an educator, and new
ways to educate ourselves.