Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 1

Philosophy of Education

Heather Jun

College of Southern Nevada

Personal Philosophy of Special Education

I am choosing the profession of teaching because I want to make a difference in children’s

lives. I want students to be able to go to school and feel safe. There has been one specific

person and one event that has inspired me to become a teacher. The one person in particular that

had a major influence on my decision to become a teacher is my mom. I watched my mom help

students learn to speak, read, and write English as their second language when she did not have

the support of their parents. I saw her feed children that were hungry because they did not have

food at home. She made learning fun and kids including myself wanted to continually learn

more. She decorated her classroom walls to make the classroom inviting, fun, and want to learn

in. She would work before school, after school, and sometimes on the weekends. To me, she

was the example to live up to. The experience that is near and dear to my heart is volunteering at

my daughter’s school. Volunteering has allowed me to work with students of many levels and

abilities, different grades, observe the RTI process, and see the reality of what occurs in

classrooms today. I have been able to interact with the children and help them learn sight words

as well as work on different projects.

The field observation I completed helped me to understand the teaching environment more

because I was able to see different ways of teaching as well as what appeared to be authentic

interaction between teachers. I was able to learn different techniques on how to capture and

maintain students’ attention. I observed how the teacher would help children in different ways to

complete assignments based on what their current levels of learning ability was. The teacher

showed me how she makes her centers and groups students based on the students’ abilities. She

does not group all high together and all low together. She would combine different levels

together so they can help each other. One major observation I saw was that the teacher was not
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affectionate or positive much. She told me she considered herself strict, but caring. I did not

hear her telling the students, “good job, great work, nice try, keep it up,” and so on.” I heard her

speak to them in a stricter stern voice and giving directions of what to do, when to do, how to do,

and if they showed her a completed assignment, she would say something like, okay you’re done

so go onto finish your other work. I believe there is not one perfect approach to teaching.

Teaching styles need to be accommodated to the children you are teaching and the environment.

The reason being is because different students need different help. Not everybody is the same

and cookie cutter.

Upon taking the Philosophical Orientation Survey, the outcome showed my educational

philosophies are Perennialism and Essentialism. I do agree with this result. My philosophy is

that children should be taught hands on learning, learn through natural discovery, and learn

problem solving skills. I also believe that students should be taught discipline, hard work,

respect for authority, and essential knowledge and skills. All children have a right to an

education in schools. They all have the right to have what support is needed for them to be

successful.

There have been multiple historical events that have set the stage for schools are today,

however I will be speaking only about a few of them that I feel impacted today’s schools and

children. The first being the Massachusetts Act of 1642 which states that parents and masters

must ensure their children and servants know the basic principles of religion and capital laws of

the country. This Act did not have to do with schools, but rather knowledge of reading, literacy,

and basic education. If parents did not fulfill this responsibility, their children could be removed

from their home and placed where they would receive adequate instruction, or they could be

fined. The Massachusetts Act of 1642 was the first education law in this country.
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Kindergarten, meaning garden where children grow, was first founded in 1837. By the year

1873, there were 1,252 students in kindergarten, which has largely increased to 2,970,000 in

2012. Kindergarten sets the basic principles in learning for children today.

Reverend Williams Holmes McGuffey “had perhaps the greatest impact of what children

learned in the new school” (Parkay, 2016, p. 158). McGuffey wrote the McGuffey readers, a

six-volume series for first grade level through sixth grade level. McGuffey readers taught

phonics, words, and reading. The readers emphasized hard work, honesty, truth, charity, and

obedience. Between 1836 and 1860 there were 120 million copies sold. Still to this day, some

private school and homeschool teachers use the McGuffey readers.

One belief I truly believe in is diversity and multiculturalism within the classroom. One

major landmark court case that led to this is Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954. The

Supreme Court rejected “separate but equal,” and this was the beginning of the end of

segregation. The importance of diversity being explored and appreciated is vital. Each one of us

can learn from other people’s culture and traditions. If I have pictures of people on the wall, they

will include different nationalities. I will have books that explore various cultures and traditions,

books about disabilities, and I will teach about other cultures and acceptance. A book titled, All

are Welcome, does a great job discussing diversity, inclusion, and everyone being welcome. A

quote from the book that resonates with me is, “We’re part of a community. Our strength is

diversity. A shelter from adversity. All are welcome here” (Penfold, 2018). One more quote is,

“We will learn from each other. Special talents we’ll uncover. There’s a big world to discover.

All are welcome here” (Penfold, 2018). Throughout this book it shows diversity. Some of the

illustrations include a child in a wheelchair, flags of different countries, pictures of children from

different cultures and nationalities, and everyone doing activities together.

I will implement a few different strategies when teaching, one of them being technology.

Imagine, a student not having a computer or tablet at home, them not having the opportunity to

learn how to type, look up information, or learn about people or places around the world. As a

teacher utilizing technology, I can show them places they may never be able to travel to as well

as take them on a virtual field trip. I will also implement active learning. An active learning

environment, “allows students to talk and listen, read, write, and reflect as they approach course

content through problem-solving exercises, informal small groups, simulations, case studies, role

playing, and other activities – all of which require students to apply what they are learning”

(George Mason University, 2010). I have seen that students learn in a variety of ways. Hands

on learning and having discussions are two different ways that help set into their memory what

the students have learned. Sometimes only reading or only listening to a lecture does not allow

the information to stay or resonate with students.

With regards to assessments, I will use the required standardized tests in addition to authentic

assessments. Authentic assessments emphasize students’ ability to think, demonstrate their

understanding, and apply their learnings to real life situations. Authentic assessments do not use

just a multiple-choice test or fill in the blank test. These assessments allow students to work on

an experiment, then write a paper about it, or write a short story, write and direct a play, and

many more types of ways to assess. When using authentic assessments, their achievement and

attitude towards learning is more positive.

I believe in having a positive approach and outlook with students rather than a negative. I

believe students need encouragement. If I can tell them how great they are doing and encourage

positively what they have done, it will help their confidence to continue to blossom. If I am

negative or neutral with no positivity, the students will not know the difference between what
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they are doing amazing on and what they need to work a little more on. I have always been

known to look for the silver lining in everything.

Qualities I need to possess to move forward in my career of being an elementary school

teacher are patience, persistence, passion, dedication, caring, being knowledgeable, and the

ability to manage a classroom. There are many steps I need to undertake to achieve my goals

and requirements of being an elementary school teacher. I will need to continue to volunteer at

my daughter’s school as this gives me a lot of opportunities to network as well as see different

teaching styles. For example, in one year I was able to volunteer in three classes: my daughter’s

main classroom, Music, and Art. I will need to substitute. Substituting will give me the chance

to see different classroom setups, different children, as well as work with different teachers and

administrations. I must continue to practice for and take the Praxis exam. I will continue taking

the practice Praxis exams as well as the Kahn Academy to assist me to learn more. I must also

complete my Associates of Arts degree in Elementary Education and my bachelor’s degree.

My vision is to teach every child that they are important, they are special, they have abilities,

they have a talent, they have a past, and they have a bright future. With the inclusion of

multiculturalism, diversity, student variability, and children with disabilities into the mainstream

classroom all of this is possible.

References

George Mason University (2010). Teaching Strategies. Retrieved from

http://www.gmu.edu/resources/facstaff/part-time/strategy.html

Parkay, F. W. (2016). Becoming a Teacher. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Penfold, A. (2018). All Are Welcome. Random House Children’s Books.