Philosophy of Education- Get one!

Every teacher.. uhh, scratch that... every GOOD teacher has a philosophy behind their madness. We must understand how and why we, as a individuals, teach children. Some people believe in B.F. Skinner's Behavioral theories while their colleagues utilize Chomsky's cognitivism. It doesn't matter who's right... just that you have your own theory. Therefore, you shouldn't steal mine! I worked hard on it and well.... IT'S MINE! Besides, I know you'll be able to come up with your own better one because you're not me and you have wonderful ideas in that little skull of yours. That being said, here's my Philosophy of Education:

I believe each child is unique…
Every child should be treated as an individual. Children require a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which they will be able to grow and mature intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. In order to provide this type of nurturing environment, I believe teachers should be attentive and responsive to their students. By knowing the strengths and weaknesses of students on an individual basis, the curriculum may be tailored to meet the needs of the classroom as a whole. This is possible by utilizing the many learning techniques such as visual, audio and kinesthetic methods. Using an individualized plan will help the students achieve more from the classroom experience and will help prevent students from becoming unmotivated.

I believe learning is supposed to be fun…
What is the point of learning something if it has no relevance to real-life and is not entertaining? No adult has the motivation to learn something that they can not apply in their own lives. Therefore, I see no reason for a child’s motivation to be any different. I believe that if children are taught that learning is fun, they will become life long learners. That is my goal in teaching: to create life long learners. By including hands-on activities and real-life examples, bland materials in textbooks become relevant and exciting. Providing students access to hands-on activities that reinforce the lesson creates an opportunity for discovery and the growth of knowledge to take place. My hope is that my students will enjoy the process of learning as much as I enjoy teaching.

I believe teachers are to guide and inform…
When teachers enter the classroom, they are expected to impart knowledge upon the students. Much of this knowledge comes from textbooks, workbooks and certain other materials that are required materials in the classroom. However, I believe that that is not the only material that the teacher is responsible for teaching. It is great if the student memorizes the preamble to the Constitution, but what if she forgets who wrote it or when? It is the job of the teacher to provide her students with the skills and resources that are required from the world outside the classroom. This includes research, study, social, critical thinking, and survival skills. It is important that students are able to find and research reliable facts and data on their own. This may be accomplished in many ways such as by utilizing resources like a dictionary, a thesaurus, an encyclopedia, or a computer.

I believe teachers never stop learning…
There is a fine line between teacher and student because the teacher never ceases being a student herself. The love of teaching goes hand-in-hand with the love of learning. A life-long teacher is a life-long student. In order to consider ones self truly educated, no amount of learning can ever be enough. It is stated best by an ancient Chinese proverb: “The more you know, the less you understand.” A teacher learns from colleagues, parents, and especially the students. Students can provide teachers with information from the cultures they come from. They provide instant feedback about a topic or idea, consequently opening our minds to new points of view every day. Students are wonderful in reminding me to stop and smell the roses, kick a soccer ball, or laugh until my belly aches. I will never cease to learn from the many children I encounter.

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