Rachel Schreiber Personal Philosophy of Education The democratic United States was founded upon a spirit of questioning, community

collaboration, and unity toward a cause. Pure democracy is an ideal in much the same way as this countrys educational system is ideali ed as it is e!pected to meet the growing demands of a changing economy, a shift toward math and the sciences, all the while creating a well"rounded student with the #nowledge base to pass an e!am in the sub$ect area as well as in the test of life. The United States began through a spirit of critical inquiry regarding the social in$ustices wrought upon the country from %ritain. This questioning spirit endures today through the li&es of those young children not yet shaped in conforming to the ways of society. Upon entering school age, children maintain their sense of inquiry and uniqueness. 't is partially through the fallible education system that children learn to mold themsel&es to the e!pectations society has placed upon them. Thus, it is my personal philosophy of education to utili e the liberties gi&en to me as a teacher as well as to my students to create a classroom en&ironment where my students are free to challenge all members to rise abo&e the standards society has in place for them and instead, wor# together to freely e!plore the unique possibilities of de&eloping their indi&idual potentials in order to stri&e to enrich and impro&e the ways of society. 'n a school system that too often emphasi es teaching"to"the"test curricula in order to meet federal and state education standards, in my teaching e!perience, ' ha&e been able to successfully formulate a curriculum that is a compromise between crucial sub$ect material and the life lessons that can be communicated through these classroom lessons. (y certification in the areas of Social Studies and English will pro&ide me with the opportunity to illustrate the impact of those in the past who dared to be different. The curriculum will center on ensuring that students ha&e the necessary tools to form an ob$ecti&e and thorough #nowledge base to be utili ed in life but will not emphasi e the memori ation of dates and facts. 'nstead, holistic

learning will be emphasi ed and assessed through a &ariety of means including but not limited to standardi ed testing such as through essay assignments, e!ploring di&erse &oices within no&els, as well as community pro$ects that allow students to draw personal connections to the classroom material. 't is my goal that these acti&ities will incite students to disco&er and culti&ate their unique passions as they wor# to discern their natural talents which possess the ability to transform them into lifelong learners as they choose to pursue the paths they find most fulfilling. )s a teacher, ' maintain an ethical responsibility to create a free space where students ha&e the right to unearth their true sel&es as well as the possibilities of their impact on society. To accomplish this, ' must shine as an e!ample of a caring indi&idual who is committed to guiding students in fostering a spirit of inquiry while continuously e!amining myself in growing in my understanding behind the reason ' am teaching. 'n order that ' might show my students ways of o&ercoming obstacles that stand in their way of true freedom, ' must confront my own in dealing with personal beliefs that may ha&e no place in an ob$ecti&e classroom setting. ' must stri&e with the students to encourage reciprocal dialogue wherein they do not simply accept the sub$ect material but instead continuously re"e!amine it in an effort to disco&er new insights offered by an unnoticed &oice. 't is, in effect, this harmony of &oices spanning history which ha&e formulated such an enriching sub$ect for students to e!amine in modern times. 't is my hope that the innumerable possibilities of this sub$ect will come ali&e for my students and initiate a similar spirit of inquiry which prompted our forefathers to wor# toward social $ustice in creating a space where, generations later, my students are free to commemorate their impact.