Philosophy of Education
Purpose of Education:
Education has many purposes for human beings, but I believe the most important purpose of education would be how it shapes individuals into who they want to be in this world. I think that this is the most significant purpose of education because without it, people would be lost. Through learning and having new experiences in educational careers, individuals are able to find themselves and learn to be true to themselves. People find what they thoroughly enjoy and what they do not have much interest in. When they find what they can grasp and really find enjoyment in, they are able to expand their horizon in a certain subject or idea. The purpose of education is connected to my own discipline as an educator. I will be teaching children at a very young age (1-6) and through my teaching I want my students to be able to find the joy in what they love. Whether it may be science, math, art, english, or history, I want to be able to lead them on the path that they feel called to in this world. There are many different paths and careers I could have chosen in my life, but I chose education because I want to guide students in the right direction. As a teacher, I will be a huge role model in my students' lives each and every day. Through my teaching, I want to guide students into making good decisions and assisting them in maintaining a positive mindset towards education. This in turn allows students to reach their goals and be the best version of themselves that they can be. Education is the foundation to a successful life with knowledge, love, and compassion which I know I can pass onto students.
The Role of the Teacher:
In the classroom, my views of education will come to life as I will provide activities that help students understand who each student is and what they will learn to love. I will give activities that not only educate them with the necessities needed for their grade level, but also activities that will expand their passions, goals, likes, and dislikes. Some of these activities would include giving them the opportunity to discover themselves, through free writing, creating posters that allow them to be creative and be who they truly are. In the classroom, students can expect me to be their helping hand through their educational career. I will be there to help them expand their ideas, dig deeper into the things they enjoy, and to understand what they want to do in their life. Although I am their teacher and need to be seen as an authority, I also want to have a partnership with the students. I want the students to understand that I want to help them develop a stronger mind and grow as an individual. Through teaching, there is a lot of growing and development that goes on, which I am ready to take on. As I grow as a future educator, I recognize that to make students grow is to challenge them. I would give questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”, rather I would give open-ended questions that drive them to really think and develop a response that allows them to fully understand what they are learning. I am determined to further my education and obtain a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education after I finish receiving my Bachelor’s Degree at Trinity Christian College. I want to expand my understanding and learn to become an even better educator not only for myself, but for my students. I want to grow further and be the very best that I can be so that my students can strive as well.
The Role of the Student:
I expect my students to be as open and engaged as they can throughout their time in my classroom. Sometimes this may be difficult for some students who do not speak up much. However, through my work, I will do whatever I can to make each and every student feel comfortable and safe to talk about what they show interest in. For example, a get to know me activity that allows the student to express their personality to the class. This activity can even help join students together with similar interests and likes. With these kinds of activities, I expect my students to be respectful of others. When others do begin to open up, they give their undivided attention towards them to make others feel worthy and as a community build eachother up. For my students to understand what I expect of them, I will establish rules with them from the beginning of our time together. I will not set out ground rules for them on my own, rather we will work together to make rules for the class. By doing this, students will know exactly what to expect and we will keep the set of rules in the front of the room. We will do this so we can always have the ability to look back on and be consistent with the rules throughout our school year together. The big takeaways that I want each of my students to have in my classroom would be for them to embrace their own authentic selves and to be respectful to others authentic selves. I feel that this is most important in the classroom, allowing the student to be who they are helps them discover their future. In my opinion, this is the number one thing that an educator should push for the student to accomplish. Not only do I want my students to strive to discover themselves, but to feel safe while doing so. I want my class to be respectful and polite towards others' opinions, views, and goals in their lives, so that together we can aim for greatness.