Philosophy of Education

Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction. A child who

receives an education may take in a positive experience or a negative experience. The way a

child receives their education is dependent on how their teachers teach it to them. Not only are

the teachers an important role in their education but their family is also another factor, as well as

where and how they are learning. Education is not just a word with a definition, education is

something that impacts and changes a child’s life based on how they absorb what is provided for

them. As a future teacher, I have made it my mission to be the best that I can be. I want to

become the teacher whose students look to them as a role model and impacts their lives in a

positive way. I knew that teaching was for me because of my love for children and how they

work. It has become my goal to educate my students into becoming the best that they can be no

matter the circumstance.

To make an impact on the students, it first starts with the teacher. In my opinion the role

of a teacher is not just to teach students but to also learn from the students. The teacher should

take the time to learn how their students work best and adapt to what they need in order to learn.

By doing this it lets the students know that their teacher wants what is best for them and will do

what they can in order to achieve this. This may mean the setup of desks may change, the

teaching style may change, or the environment of the classroom may change as long as it is

appropriate and possible to do. The teacher must also have the understanding that it is okay not

to know everything. This attitude not only allows the students to understand that the teacher to is

still learning but it also limits the amount of stress on the teacher because they do not have to

carry the stress of having to know everything. The role of a teacher in my opinion is not standing
at the front of the room reading off slide after slide on a PowerPoint expecting the students to

learn from what is said. The role of the teacher is to mold their lesson into a way that all students

can walk away knowing that they learned something valuable and enjoyed doing so.

The classroom also depends on the role of the students. In my opinion, the role of the

students first starts with giving respect. When you give respect, you receive respect in return.

This mean if students respect their teacher, their teacher will respect them. If they respect their

classmates their classmates in return will respect them. Teaching students to give respect also

helps them understand how to treat people outside of the classroom as well as how they are to

treat people in their future. By incorporating respect into the role of the student it also allows the

students to work together. Learning how to work together is also connected to the role of the

students because it connects the classroom as a whole. It allows the students to understand that

they are in this together and that they have each other's backs. This allows the students to not

only learn from their teacher but to also learn from their peers and accept each other for who they

are. When the students know that the teacher is there for them, and that their classmates are there

for them is then helps create a more positive attitude towards education.

Not only is education dependent on the role of the teacher and students, it is also

dependent on the role of the parents. The parents should understand that the environment that

they create at home has a play on how the students learn in the classroom. If the students are

being taught at home that education does not matter, then they are going to come into class with

that negative mentality. The role of the parents is to sit down and work with their children and

allow schoolwork to help them bond. This shows the child that they are not alone in learning and

that they also are able to express what they know to their families. I understand that for some

families it may be hard for parents to find time to work every day one on one with their child but
if they at least take the time to show their children that they care about what they are learning

and show an interest in what they are learning it still, in my opinion, allows the child to relay

what they are learning. I also feel that another part in the role of parents is for them to have a

connection to the teacher whether it be through parent teacher conferences of weekly emails/take

home notes relaying how their child is doing in school. Doing this allows the teacher to feel that

if something is going on with a student in their classroom, they are able to contact their parents

and know that in some way that issue is going to be fixed. It also allows the parents to know that

the teacher is willing to work with them as well as their child in order for their child to perform

the best that they can.

The roles of the teacher, students, and parents are all important for setting up a positive

attitude for learning. The next step in impacting the students is based on how they are being

taught. In my opinion, students should not be viewed as a mass-produced product of education

instead they should be looked at as individuals with different potentials. This view all starts with

how the classroom is to be organized. In my future classroom, instead of having the desks lined

up in rows I would have the desks set up in groups of two or four depending on what is

happening lesson wise. By setting the desks up in groups it allows the students to be placed with

a buddy/buddies that they can work with throughout the day. I will also have jobs assigned for

each student. For example, there will be an assigned line leader, paper passer, board eraser, etc.

This will allow the students to maintain control in the classroom as well as giving each student

an important role to connect the class as a whole. Each week the jobs will be switched to allow

each students the chance to experience each job throughout the school year. I also want to have

learning centers that apply to each subject placed throughout the room. The students are allowed
to access these learning centers whenever they have free time and it allows them to choose what

they want to learn as well as work on something that they are struggling with.

Another important aspect in how the students are taught is based on how they are

assessed. I believe that students should not be formally assessed all the time. I do not agree with

allowing tests to determine how much students have learned. In my opinion, using tests only

teach students that they just have to learn the right strategies to pass the test. By teaching them

that they only have to pass leads them to just memorize the right answers and never learn how to

apply it to real life situations. I feel that there should be a mix of both formal and informal

assessment when it comes down to tracking how much a student has learned. One way of

assessment that I feel is best for the classroom are presentations. Not only does it teach the

student how to speak in front of people, but it also allows the students to learn and teach their

classmates what they learned. Another form of assessment other than giving tests are writing

papers. This allows the students to express all that they know in their own words. When it comes

to giving a test, I feel that tests should not have a known date. By giving an unannounced test, it

allows the students to truly show what they know, and they are taking what they ae learning and

applying it every day instead of waiting till last minute to study everything they were taught the

day before.

In my opinion, I feel that students learn best when they have a positive mentality and

come into class willing to learn and perform at their very best. I also feel that students also learn

best when they are given hands on activities that relate to the topic that they are learning. By

doing this they are linking a personal experience to an activity and it helps them relate it to the

topic. I feel that the purpose of learning is for the students to be able to apply their knowledge to

events outside of school. Not only does this help them build themselves as a person but it sets
them up for success in their future. I can remember as a student wondering what the purpose of

an assignment was and how it would apply to my life outside of school and the explanation was

never given to me. I want students to enjoy learning and know exactly how it is helping them for

their future. Knowing that students should be taught as individuals there should be differentiation

for every lesson. If there needs to be differentiation through the lesson content, there will be

different options set aside for students who need them. For example, if the class were to be given

a fill in the blank worksheet a word bank would be provided for students who needed one.

Another example of differentiating content would be to have books with different reading levels

so that it allows students to choose books that are fit for them. If there needs to be differentiation

through the process of learning the lesson, I would come up with videos for the students to watch

in class as well as songs for the class to sing that relate to the lesson. By doing this it does not

single out students and force them to learn in a way that does not work for them. By

differentiating the product, I would include multiple options for assignments. For example, if I

were having an end of the lesson project, I would give multiple options like making a comic

strip, writing a paper, or making a video to accept for a grade. This allows the student to choose

an option that they feel works best for them. By differentiating in the classroom allows the

students to learn as individuals and they can work at their own limits.

The most important factor for me when it comes to education is making a positive impact

on the student's life. By doing this it shows the students that they are cared for and that they are

learning what is best for their lives. By creating a positive impact, it changes the whole view

towards education. Education must be looked at as an opportunity for everyone to learn at their

own pace and to learn topics that they are able to use in their future. It should not be looked at as

a place to keep children out of trouble and a place that they have to attended because it is the
law. Little by little if all teachers take the effort to relate to their students and work with them for

the benefit of their education it can change many lives. My goal is to show each and every one of

my students that they have a purpose in life and a purpose in learning. I want my students to

leave school every day knowing that they learned something valuable and that they had the

choice in what they learned.