My Educational Philosophy

I’ve been working on developing some educational resources as part of etc. Resources, but I wanted to start at the beginning and reevaluate my own teaching philosophy and my personal knowledge of education before I made anything available to the public.  In doing so, I’ve decided to start blogging about an educational topic once a week, beginning today. 

Before I went into my final semester of college at the undergraduate level, I completed a form with all of my information regarding my experience and beliefs pertaining to education.  Below is a copy of the educational philosophy I wrote prior to student teaching in October of 2007.  My beliefs regarding education remain strong and in order to explain how I feel about teaching and the education system in general, I’ve decided to share my philosophy with you.

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I believe that the purpose of education is to teach children how to learn.  Through the process of education, the students will be provided with tools from the teacher that will help them make positive choices throughout their educational careers and their lives. 

All children are unique learners with individual learning styles and all students in a classroom must be given an equal chance to learn through differentiated instruction in the curriculum.  Regardless of gender, cultural background, age, or individual abilities, every child needs to be treated equally and with respect from the teacher and his or her fellow students.  The classroom community should be comprised of a network of learners taking strengths from each individual student’s special talents and interests, joining together for the greater good of the group.  I feel that if enough guidance is provided for a child from a young age, that child will grow into a well-balanced adult.

I believe that teachers, as well as community members, are just as responsible as a child’s own parents in making sure that the process of a complete education is carried out.  Teachers must work as partners with parents in order to keep children on track at both home and school.  It is also a teacher’s role to make sure that all of Maslow’s basic needs are met for each and every child in her classroom.  Once physiological, safety, and social needs are met, a higher level of learning can take place and the students can really begin to succeed.  A teacher must constantly monitor the needs that she sees arise in her classroom to ensure that learning will be able to take place in a caring community of learners.

I believe that the way a teacher teaches, disciplines, and relates to students will affect those children for their entire lives.  Teachers never know how much they influence the children they teach.  Teaching styles and discipline procedures should be well-thought out to provide the most well-rounded and fair education to all students in the classroom.  Positive relationships between the teacher and each student should develop in the classroom.  With all of these elements working together, a classroom environment should evolve that promotes a positive view of education and an eagerness to continue learning.