Jessica M.

Gonzalez

EDU 201 Intro. to Elementary Ed.

Section # 3001/89671

November 29, 2020

Philosophy of Education

1. Profession:

Teaching is my second career. It has always been a dream of mine to become a teacher.

However, life happened, and my dream was put on hold. But once I reached my forties, I decided

that it was time to fulfill that dream. My decision to become a teacher came about when I

realized that I was being treated different when I came to this country in the late 70’s. I did not

know the English language, so I was automatically enrolled into a Special Education classroom.

At that time, inclusion was not even an option. I spent all my day in that special ed class and had

no opportunity to be part of a “regular” classroom. Thankfully, I had an incredible teacher who

was not only able to spend a lot of time teaching me different subjects, she also helped me learn

English quickly.

A year later, I was able to graduate from the program and I was able to become part of a

non-special ed class. I decided then that when I grew up that I was going to become a teacher.

My Special Education teacher was extraordinary, and I would not have been able to succeed

without her. I truly believe that the reason why I accomplished so much in her class was because

she was able to dedicate all her time to only the students in the class. I realized that teaching

Special Ed was different back then. She only taught Special Education, and her classroom was

not like a revolving door where students would be going in and out all day. I did not see her
having to report to a “regular” classroom teacher about students and their progress. My

classroom size was also small. My teacher only taught ten students. I decided that this type of

teaching is what I wanted to do. But I mainly wanted to be a teacher to make a difference in the

life of my students, just like my teacher made a difference in my life.

As an older student, my dream of becoming a teacher was no longer as appealing. I began

to think of different career options as I reached the High School level. This happened because I

realized the changes that were happening in the Education field. The field of Special Education

was going through significant changes at the time, changes that no longer made me happy. There

was no longer the opportunity to dedicate as much time to special needs students, and Special Ed

involved more paperwork than I really wanted to deal with. However, I started thinking about

teaching as a profession after another great teacher came into my life. My English teacher, Ms.

Murray always challenged me and never allowed me to give up when I felt like giving up on my

studies. She is also responsible for making me fall in love with writing. I wish I could tell her

this now, especially because I always told her that I hated writing. The more that I told her that I

hated to write, the more she made me write. Who knew that something that I despised as a

teenager could be so rewarding as an adult!

I almost gave up on teaching for the third time this semester. There are so many

challenges that teachers face today. Teaching students is not what makes this profession less

appealing. It is all that comes along with it. Teachers must deal with the curriculum, the union,

the school district, the school, administration, parents, and now virtual learning. I enjoy being a

multitasker, that is not the problem. The problem is that teachers are required to jump several

hoops and go through a lot of obstacles before they can begin teaching their students. Why are
teachers not given the proper tools and just allowed to teach? It should be that simple. That is

what I fell in love with from the very beginning.

The difference between all the other times that I gave up on teaching and now, is that I

am making my future students my motivation to keep going. I remember the impact that my

teachers made in my life, and I want to be the same for all students. Not only will I abide by all

the educational rules and policies, I will make sure to keep up with my education so that I can

also grow professionally. What will drive me as I look at the future, is only being the best teacher

that I can be so that I can help my students succeed academically. I will make this happen even

with all the obstacles that teachers face. Just as I have seen changes in the Education field

throughout the years, I am sure that I will see many more in the years that I am in the teaching

profession.

It will be difficult to teach in a school district like ours where there are so many issues

that teachers face. These issues involve the lack of funding, lack of supplies, and low wages. Let

us not forget the teacher shortage and the overcrowded classrooms. What about the students that

are being taught by substitutes because there are not enough certified teachers to teach them? I

must also mention the fact that teachers feel that they do not always have support from the

district, school staff, parents, and the community. All these issues can seem too much for me to

endure as a teacher. However, I must not allow this to discourage me. I love living in Las Vegas,

and I am quite aware of the issues that are facing our school district. I am hoping that I will one

day be employed by the school district. Therefore, I feel that if I give up on teaching one more

time, I will not only be letting myself down, I will be letting my future students down.
2. Teaching:

The best way that I can describe my Educational Philosophy is by going back to the

basics. I am not saying that I will not implement the curriculum that I am required to teach.

However, I believe that each student has their own way of learning, and I will cater to each

students’ own learning style. I will also teach so that students are not simply memorizing the

lessons that I will be teaching them. My students will be able to absorb the information and

practice what I teach them. Instead of filling my students’ brains with a pile of information, I will

make sure to change things up in the class so that they learn. I will implement games and trivia,

media, visual study aids, and throw in questions during lessons so that students remain engaged.

At least this is what my “perfect” teaching scenario would look like in my classroom.

Education looked much different when I was growing up than it does today. This is the

reason that I would implement going back to the basics. I do not believe that a student’s learning

capability should be determined by assessments and their scores. Therefore, I will create my own

way of teaching where I can teach my students based on their needs. But I must not forget why

Philosophy is so important in Education. It helps me understand the politics that are involved in

Education, and how important decisions that are made by politicians are to our schools. I firmly

believe that by understanding how philosophy has influenced our schools in the past, I will learn

how current proposals might relate to previous change efforts. Being aware of how philosophy

has influenced the teaching profession will only help me become a better teacher. Teachers

should always be aware of the importance of philosophy in Education. However, there is also

nothing wrong with my belief that students have their own way of learning, and teachers should

adapt to each of their learning styles.

The strategies that I will implement in my class are simple. I will first begin by teaching

my students. Then I will determine what each student learning style is depending on how they

act during the lessons. This way I will be able to approach each situation with a plan. For

example, if I find out that a group of students learn a certain way, then I will put them in groups

so that they can work together. Of course, I would do this without students realizing what is

going on because I do not want anyone to feel left out or feel as if I am treating them different.

The last thing that I would want to do is to make students feel inferior. Then I would determine

who is learning at a slower pace and who is having problems understanding the material. In these

two situations, I would do my best to spend more time teaching and maybe pairing them up with

those students who are not having any problems. I believe that this promotes two things, learning

and creating long term friendships. Afterschool study sessions are a must if I continue to see

students struggling during class and struggling with their assignments.

The only time that I would think about separating students during class time is when I

realize what each student’s learning style is, and when I realize which group of students best fits

the needs of other students. Student diversity and variability in my class is important and a must.

I would love to teach students from all backgrounds. However, I would never separate them

based on those qualities. I think that it is a benefit to have all my students learn from one another,

and to learn about each other. This is the way that I was taught during my earlier school years. It

helped me learn about other cultures, and it allowed me to meet some of my best friends.

Assessments are important and necessary in today’s Educational world. Teachers and

students alike dread them. I know that I will once I become a teacher. However, I will learn to

prepare myself as well as prepare my students for the assessments so that we are not all stressed
out on the day of the exams. I understand that it will take a lot of work to prepare myself and to

prepare all my students. This means understanding the school district rules regarding the

assessments, learning what is required from the school when it comes to the exams, learn what is

required from each student, and learning what is required from me in order to have each student

pass successfully. There is no reason to be afraid of exams when everyone is prepared. I will

learn to make sure of that!

4. Future:

As an upcoming teacher, I believe that the qualities that I need in order to succeed is that

I must enjoy working with children. That is a given, and a must! However, I also believe that I

must be passionate about what I do as a teacher so that I can overcome all the challenges that I

will be facing. Most important, I believe that as a role model and as a teacher, I must have the

desire to help my students succeed academically. Therefore, I will do everything in my power to

improve my craft so that I will be able to teach and provide the knowledge that is required of my

students so that they succeed academically.

I believe that one can never have enough education. Therefore, my personal educational

goal includes getting my Bachelor’s degree, my Master’s degree, and my Doctorate in

Education. I have volunteered at an elementary school, and I have also performed 10 hours of in

person student/teacher observation in a Special Education class in the past. This semester I

performed 10 hours of student/teacher virtual observation for an elementary class. I feel lucky to

have been able to observe these two classes both ways. Unfortunately, this year I had no choice

but to observe a class online. However, my main goal to achieve in the future is to gain

employment as a teacher in an elementary school here in Clark County. I cannot wait!