Philosophy of Education

           Education is the key to success. Without a substantial education life becomes more difficult than it should. Therefore, I intend for my students to value the lessons I teach so they can become well-educated individuals.

My philosophy of education includes a cognitive and social reconstuctionist perspective. As a teacher, I have several objectives. My primary objective is to develop thinking skills for a lifelong self-directed learning. I feel the role of the students is to construct meaningful knowledge through experience and interaction. My students will be involved in classroom activities instead of listening to an extensive lecture while taking notes. I believe the role of the teacher should involve stimulating cognitive development. The teachers should mediate student learning and monitor their thought processes. In order to accomplish this, I will give assignments that will allow me to understand the students are working. Therefore, I can make sure everyone is learning on a pace that suits a student¡Ùs specific needs. It is important to address the needs and learning styles of every student. If a parent of my student asks her daughter, "What did you learn today? I will feel ineffective if the student response is, "I don't know Mom. 1 didn't learn anything today, I did not understand the work because it was too challenging" or if the student responds, "I did not learn anything because the work was not challenging enough. A scenario such as this explicates the need address the needs of each student while teaching in manner that I can feel comfortable. This may not be an easy task; nevertheless it is as accomplishable task.

It is extremely imperative to understand the learning styles of all of my students. I have to recognize each weakness and strength of each child.  Establishing great relationships among all the students will allow the students to trust me and witness that the teacher is here to help. If I learn about my students it will make the students comfortable thus it will make it easier for them to learn from me. To accomplish this I will use manipulative and real life learning opportunities relevant to student's prior experiences.

The establishment of respect is an important goal for me to meet. I will strive to be democratic with my approach to teaching. I want all of the students to have a classroom environment where they feel comfortable. The last thing I want is for my class to feel threatened, intimidated or uncomfortable. On the other hand, I don't want the children to believe they can do anything they want. Even though I want the children to like me, being liked is not as important as having the children understand who the authority figure is. To make sure this happens, I will institute discipline. My definition of discipline is order, obedience, and authority. I will not allow misbehavior in my classroom. If I allow one child to misbehave, the rest of the class will feel it's acceptable. If a child misbehaves, writing an extra assignment will punish them or I may seclude the child at a desk in a corer until I feel the child is ready to learn. Structure and organization brings discipline.  Structure is essential to all learning environments. Like a building needs foundation a classroom needs structure.

To attain my goals as a teacher, I will listen to my students. I will take the suggestions about whatever they feel is needed for me to be a better teacher. I will adapt my teaching methods to different learning styles if necessary. I will be a role model for the students. I will talk to the parents. I will do whatever it takes to ensure my students are learning a valuable education. This will be my responsibility, my duty, and my privilege as an educator. With my philosophy and objectives, I hope I will become a successful educator.