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Emily Costley
EDUC 106
Prof. Baxter
December 9, 2014
Philosophy of Ed/
Field Experience Paper
As a sophomore in the education program, my educational philosophy has
been built on reflections from my teacher observations of five very different
classrooms and my career as a student. The Oxford Dictionary defines education
as the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school
or university and while this may be how it is nationally defined, Ive learned
education is much more than that (Education, n.d.). Ive found that education is
the journey of acquiring, understanding, and applying basic knowledge and skills
to produce able and contributing members of society for the generations to come.
The ultimate goal of education should not be to produce millions of identical,
universally programmed robots, but to provide the necessary tools to the coming
generations so that they can provide the appropriate knowledge and skills for the
generations they will raise and influence. Unfortunately, the new Common Core
standards are more focused on establishing a universal curriculum across the
United States and, consequently, converting children into robots programmed to
be able to meet these standards. National statistics and my own classroom
observations show that education is not heading in a positive direction for both
teachers and students. As a whole, my philosophy incorporates traditional values
of management, discipline, and curriculum, while maintaining a mindset that
carefully considers the diverse needs of the students and the forever-changing
world of today.

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Anyone has the capability to convey a concept or skill to another person if
they have learned and mastered it themselves, or teach. Everyone has the
capability and capacity to teach something, if they are passionate, patient, and
willing to do so. Not everything an individual has learned has been taught
through typical lesson format. Most of the children attending The Crescent
Academy (TCA), a private Muslim school I had the pleasure of observing this fall,
do not speak English as their primary language, instead learning gradually
through their English-speaking peers and teachers. Learning is a never-ending
process that will only end once our lives do so as well. These students may just be
beginning to learn English, but they continue to improve and progress as each
day passes they are in school. The process of learning, in terms of gaining,
retaining, and maintaining that knowledge or skill, will vary from individual to
individual due to our unique characteristics as humans. Most importantly, a
teacher must be passionate about what and whom they are teaching, or else it will
be difficult and painful for both the student and teacher. It is the teachers duty to
facilitate learning and nurture personal growth and development in their
students, as well as provide with skills that can be utilized in real life scenarios.
The Crescent Academy is funded primarily through donations and grants
and is not required to follow Common Core standards or regulations. However,
Sister Taneeka, the pre-kindergarten teacher in charge of a class of six, chooses to
use the worksheets published by EngageNY. During playtime, Sister Taneeka was
ripping out dozens of worksheets to send home with the children. This made me
truly upset. If given the opportunity to have complete academic flexibility and
freedom, why follow the canned curriculum to children whose parents have paid

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a decent amount to receive a quality education? More importantly, I do not
believe homework should not even be a consideration for pre-kindergartners. Its
psychologically supported that young children are not mentally able to think
abstractly enough for homework through the work of Jean Piaget. Children in
Sister Taneekas class range from three to five years old and are classified in
Piagets preoperational stage of cognitive development, where they are beginning
to develop language and can think in one direction. It isnt until the concrete
operational stage, which starts about first grade or when a child is seven years
old, that children can think logically about concrete problems, understand
conversation and organize information, successfully being able to complete and
understand homework. During the concrete operational stage, 6- to 12 year olds
begin to think logically and become capable of solving problems while in the
formal operational stage, occurring at approximately twelve years of age, where
children begin to think hypothetically and answer what if questions more
efficiently (Boyd & Bee, 2010, p. 38-39). Especially through the younger years, I
believe it is essential for children, especially in pre-kindergarten and
kindergarten, to learn through play and socializing with their peers. New York
Times author Holly Korbey supports this notion, stating that educators should be
teaching kids how to socialize, take turns, and work in a group. Preparing
children to read and write during the hours of the school day is fine, but a
preschoolers homework should be exploring, playing and listening to bedtime
stories (Korbey, 2012).
These Common Core worksheets and curricula are the governments
attempt to match state-to-state curriculums so that a first grader in Alabama is

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learning the same material as a first grader in New York. While this is a great
idea, the goal of education should not be to compete with other nations. As I
previously mentioned, the goal of education should not be to produce millions of
robots who can regurgitate facts and events long enough to pass a standardized
test that is indicative of our nations entire intellectual ability. Children are
creative, innovative, and fresh thinkers of our future. If we create universal
machines that lack critical thinking and innovative decision making skills how
will we ever progress as a nation? We need to encourage and kindle this spark
that lies within the students of America. Greek Historian, Plutarch, was once
quoted saying, the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs
igniting (Quote Investigator, 2013). Currently, we are far too concerned with
filling the vessel that is a child with as much information as quickly as possible,
without being conscience of thorough understanding when really we should be
focused on igniting and kindling the flame that is knowledge and education. If
anything, were smothering that flame that once existed, and Im not okay with
that.
Something I really enjoyed about the Crescent Academy is the fact that
prayer was a major part of the daily schedule of the school day. In addition to
regular prayer before and after eating, the children had an Arabic and prayer
lesson every day. This correlates with the professional standards developed by the
Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) by being
able to apply and incorporate their lessons, as well as drawing on culturally and
socially diverse perspectives (Lynch, 2014, p. 336). This is real-life learning of
knowledge they will actually use throughout their lives and will become

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knowledge they can relay to others eventually once they master this skill.
Education should concentrate on real-life applications more so in the later years
of secondary education, junior or senior year of high school. Surely we cannot
expect a high school senior, who still has to ask to go to the bathroom, to decide
what they want to be for the rest of their life. Through career exploration and
realistic curriculums, students may be more prepared to conquer the real world
rather than waste time and money on higher education figuring out their lives.
After observing Sister Taneekas classroom for the day, I saw a very raw,
unorganized classroom that lacked the proper funding and support a prekindergarten classroom requires. I specifically enjoyed the communal sense the
50-student school had to offer. I had previously observed this school while I was
in high school and the faculty all remembered me and I remembered them. Every
teacher knows every student and their family. In fact, Sister Amber, the fourth
and fifth grade teacher, had one of her students parents watch her daughter
while she worked. However, I was more critical and aware of the issues at TCA
this second time around. I enjoyed any time I get to be out in the field, but I dont
think there is anything I will be taking from the experience other than what not to
do.
After observing Sister Taneekas classroom and this semester of education
classes, my philosophy has evolved to include a dynamic of diversity, something I
previously did not consider. My philosophy includes this consideration,
acknowledging that no matter what occupation or career path students choose to
go into, they should pursue their passion and find their purpose. While I may be
passionate about children and learning, someone might be interested in career X

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and another person may be working towards career Y. Neither choice is correct or
wrong; it is pertinent to the individual who makes a career meaningful. Students
are capable and able to learn, and it is the teachers duty to create a sustainable,
comfortable learning environment in which their students can strive to be the
best they can be and not how they compare to their neighbor. I am willing and
able to further myself in this career field to better the lives of my students in a
comfortable and welcoming learning environment.

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References

Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2010). The Growing Child. Boston: Allyn &Bacon.
Education. (n.d.) Retrieved December 5, 2014, from
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/edu
cation?searchDictCode=all
Korbey, H. (2012, February 22). Should Preschoolers Have Homework?
Retrieved December 5, 2014, from
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/should-preschoolershave-homework/?_r=0
Lynch, M. (2014). The Call To Teach. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.
Quote Investigator. (2013, March 18). Retrieved December 11, 2014, from
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/03/28/mind-fire/