Victoria Claflin

ED 459
Philosophy of Education Paper
Part I
There are several things to consider when thinking about the ideal school environment. I
feel the school should be somewhere safe and supportive for children, physically and
emotionally, where they are comfortable sharing their thoughts, opinions, and dreams. The
school should be centered on student growth and emphasize the importance of relationships and
community. The teachers should be highly qualified and have a passion for what they are doing.
The school needs to work around the diverse learning levels of the students and challenge them
each to do the best that they can.
I learned a lot through our discussions and presentations about the various educational
philosophies and teaching approaches. There are a few that stood out to me and I can easily
identify with. The first one is Humanism because I feel that if students basic needs are not being
met we are just wasting our time until they are met. I can also relate to Constructivism and
Progressivism because I like how they are both a student centered hands on way of learning.
A school that aligns with these philosophies and teaching approaches that was discussed
in class is Summerhill. I think that this is an amazing school and I would love to one day work at
a school like this. The school originally started as an experimental school but is now a
demonstration school where children have the freedom to be themselves without any adult
suggestion of any kind (Neill, A. S., 2013). I really like that the students can choose if they want
to go to the lesson or not because this makes it so you know they are going to be passionate

about learning the material. I also like that everyone at the school is seen as an equal and the
children do not fear the adults (Neill, A. S., 2013). This makes it so the children feel they can
come with their problems and can also be honest about what they have done.
In this class we have talked quite a bit about meeting students where they are and
developing the whole child. This can be done by noticing and taking in to consideration the
childs emotions on a daily basis. It is also necessary to look into what the childs home life is
like versus their school life. This will give you an insight into how you can best help the child to
be ready to learn.
Part II
In our educational system there is still a troubling inconsistency concerning the promise
of educational opportunity for all. The needs of the students are sometimes not met because of
cultural needs or because of learning styles.
In reading the book and through the discussion I have come across a few example of how
some students needs are not being met. One example is the debate about if Ebonics should be
able to be used by students or if they should be forced to only use Standard English. While it is
important the students learn Standard English, the language they come to school with should not
be suggested as wrong or ignorant because it is still important and connects the student to their
family (Delpit, L., 2013). If a student is constantly interrupted and corrected while trying to
speak they may go silent and/or resent the teacher, because of this it is very important to figure
out how to help the student learn without taking away their ability to choose the language form
they want to use (Delpit, L., 2013).

Another example is how society categorizes people based on both visible and invisible
traits and can either help or hinder a person. It often leads to gross exaggerations and stereotypes
that people start to believe (Nieto, S., 2013). In the classroom this can hinder the resources that
students receive. Sometimes discrimination happens unintentionally because teachers are too
afraid to talk about the differences and these differences sometimes lead to lower expectations
(Nieto, S., 2013).
Another thing is the classroom seem to be set up to cater to specific styles of learning not
all the styles at once. This can be very frustrating to a student that learns differently than the style
that is being used to. As the teacher it is very important to remember to try to include visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic styles into every lesson. It is also important to recognize the style you
prefer because that will tend to be your go to method.
There are several things teachers can do to help the students. The teachers need to be a
strong voice for their students. They should advocate for things that are going to be in the
students best interest. Theses could be things such as extra-curricular activities to keep the
students involved. The teacher should also advocate for learning about other cultures and being
accepting of our differences.
The teacher also needs to know what they stand for by being educated and having a
strong knowledge of what they believe in. The teacher should be able to recognize and know
their strengths as well as their biases before they start teaching because this will affect how they
teach.
Part III

Throughout this class I have had the opportunity to reflect on why I have chosen this
career path. This has been especially important for me because I returned to the Education
Department in winter of 2015 after being gone for around seven years and thinking of changing
my major. After reflecting on it I know that this has been the right choice for me.
Something that has been very helpful for me is looking at the onion model and how all
the different layers affect me and who I am in general. I feel this model is also really important to
look at in the classroom because there are several factors that will affect me and the students in
the class.
The discussions with my peers has also helped me to realize some of my strengths and to
see the strengths in the people around me. It is nice to have reassurance from people around me
that are in the same boat and understand what I am going through. This has also given me some
ideas from my peers that I would have never thought to use in my classroom.
A significant question that has been with me for a little while now, since I will be
graduating this June, is what am I going to do after graduation and where am I going to try to get
a job? I have experienced this over the past couple of weeks in talking to my peers and my
family about my plans. Uncertainty in things like this stresses me out so I am trying to just be
present in the moment and take one day at a time for now.

References
Delpit, L. (2013). What should teachers do?: Ebonics and culturally responsive instruction. In A.
S. Canestrari & B. A. Marlowe (Eds.), Educational foundations: An anthology of critical
readings (31-39). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Neill, A. S. (2013). The idea of Summerhill. In A. S. Canestrari & B. A. Marlowe (Eds.),
Educational foundations: An anthology of critical readings (133-140). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications.
Nieto, S. (2013). Racism, discrimination, and expectations of students achievement. In A. S.
Canestrari & B. A. Marlowe (Eds.), Educational foundations: An anthology of critical
readings (41-60). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.