My Teaching Philosophy
I see education as an opportunity for the impossible to become possible. As cliché as it may sound, I truly believe that through education, the youth can create whatever they desire. With each student I engage with, I would like to encourage them to learn and explore beyond what they believe they are capable of. While I am a person who values structure and guidelines in regard to teaching, I also believe that learning should be conducted through exploration and student-led discoveries. With this, my philosophy of teaching aligns with progressivism and essentialism.
In my experience, I find that the most valuable lessons I have learned derive not from a textbook, but rather through exploration. I remember in particular the “Saving Sam” science activity conducted in my fourth-grade class. We were put in teams, given two paper clips, a LifeSaver gummy ring, a gummy worm, and a plastic cup. With these materials, we were to find a method that would save a gummy worm named Sam from his sinking boat. This puzzle activity is forever ingrained in my memory as it was the first time I was required to think critically with other students without direct help from my teacher. Despite the challenge and multiple failed attempts, my team and I successfully saved Sam. Although a small accomplishment, I remember the feeling of finding the solution being invigorating. It is this memorable moment that leads me to agree with the progressivism philosophy of education; the idea that students should “test ideas by active experimentation. Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world” (Cohen, 1999). In this instance, I believe the role of a teacher is to facilitate and direct. While a teacher can teach a student all there is inside of a textbook, a student experiences the most growth when they explore a task on their own.
On the other hand, I follow the essentialism philosophy of teaching and agree with the claim, “informal learning through experiences initiated by the learners is important...but informal learning should be regarded as supplementary rather than central” (Bagley, 1941). In order to maintain a structured society, construct self-discipline, and teach students universal respect, teachers should teach the basics. By this philosophy, I believe a teacher needs to be present during times of learning and should have a strong background in academic areas along with years of practice in order to successfully transfer critical core knowledge to students. Subjects such as math, science, language, and social studies provide students a platform for growth. I view these subjects symbolically as training wheels; without them, students would not have a starting point for exploration.