My Philosophy of Education

 

Education is one of the fundamental building blocks of a productive, healthy society. A good education can mean the difference between seeing your greatest ambitions come true and living in abject poverty and not being able to do anything about it. I believe we are seeing the effects of a deteriorating public education system right now in America--many children are being left behind.

Education can help students figure out who they are and what they are interested in doing in their lives. Education should empower all students to achieve to the best of their ability, and to demonstrate what they are capable of doing. Education should lay down the framework of how to go about learning and give students the tools they need to succeed in this mission.

There are obvious educational links between the teacher and the student, but there are also very important links between the student and the community as well as the teacher and the community. I believe the student’s role in the education process should be one of active participation. This can be achieved in various ways including having the students participate in making rules for the class and working with the teacher to develop integrated curriculum models. It is my belief that if the students are engaged in this manner and have a sense of ownership in the class that they will be more interested in learning. Students should be empowered to ask many questions and to freely share their ideas and needs with the teacher and other students if appropriate.

A teacher ideally will be the facilitator in the educational process. In order for this to become reality, the teacher needs to have a very good classroom management plan and a mastery of subject matter. The teacher needs to be a role model for the students, he/she needs to foster respect and compassion amongst all people, whether in class or in the community. I think W.E.B. DuBois put it well when he said, “Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.”

Teachers should encourage kids to care about the community that they live in and, in turn, be active members. In my opinion, this starts with the teacher being involved in the community. Connections can and should be drawn between what is happening in class and what is happening in the community. An integrated curriculum can be designed to facilitate an understanding of these connections. It is my belief that this approach will lead to more community involvement from the kids than would otherwise exist.

Teachers also have an obligation to teach tolerance and understanding of the differences that exist on this planet. We live in a world that is increasingly losing its borders in terms of how many different cultures and peoples are living in the same cities. On the other hand, there is still very strong racism and xenophobia that permeates throughout society. It is pivotal for the future that teachers facilitate student understanding of and respect for those differences.

I want to be a middle school teacher because I love working with children and I want to help as many as possible in the process of finding themselves. I feel like middle school is the last place where children can be reached in a meaningful way. In particular, I want to connect with those who are showing signs that they don’t care where they are going in life. I believe that with guidance most of them can turn things around. It is very gratifying to see how the kids I work with or have worked with are developing. I love hearing about their interests and what they are doing to accomplish their goals. It gives me great hope for the future as well as the energy to attain the things that interest me.