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PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

Personal Philosophy Statement of Olivia Norman

Olivia M. Norman

College of Southern Nevada EDU 201

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PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

Personal Philosophy Statement of Olivia Norman

My desire to work with children goes back as far as fifth grade graduation. We were each

asked what we wanted to be when we grow up; I responded with a child psychiatrist or a

neonatologist. Since that time, I have known that I wanted to work with children, but it took me

a while to narrow my options and determine my path. I started out as a pre-med major, but

quickly realized that the medical field was not the direction I wanted to go. I tried a few more

majors and several more jobs until I stumbled into a teaching position with the YMCA. Finally, I

found a job where I was not only successful, but truly loved going to work each day. From that

point, I knew that I had found the career that was best suited for me and began taking Early

Education classes. As life often changes plans for us, I took an extended break from college, but

not from working with children. For the past 9 years, I have run an in-home preschool preparing

children for kindergarten. There are few things as rewarding to me as the moment when a child

finally grasps the concept that you have been working on. I have thoroughly enjoyed finding new

ideas and creative ways to help them understand the material we are trying to master. I tend to be

very organized which certainly helps in the planning and preparation of projects. While I did

help train them to be able to sit and focus for extended periods of time (and by extended for a

kindergartener, I unusually meant 20 minutes), I mostly incorporated learning into art projects or

everyday activities. If we did a snowman project, I had them count how many cotton balls they

needed to glue. When we made lunch together, we would talk about the color of food or letters

that each food started with. I understand that it will be different in a classroom of 25 students, but

I hope to continue to blend fun activities with learning.

With my youngest child in school now, I have returned to college and am learning a

tremendous amount of useful information. In each of my Elementary Education classes, we have

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discussed in varying degrees Howard Garners theory of Multiple Intelligences and I am looking

forward to incorporating the many different ways of learning into each lesson. I have always

known that I learn best by doing rather than hearing, but never realized how many other

areas of learning I needed to incorporate (Gardner, 2013, p. 2). I understand that it may be

difficult to incorporate them into every lesson as a new teacher, but hope to add new components

each time I repeat a lesson. I feel that this will be the best way for me to reach the most students.

Children who come from different backgrounds will benefit from seeing ideas presented in

different ways. While I look forward to attempting to appeal to the multiple ways of learning, I

do not fully agree with Gardners complete distaste of standardized tests (Gardner, 2013, p. 3).

There needs to be a way to see if each child understands the required standards for their grade.

Just because a child does poorly on a test, it does not mean the test is bad; it could mean that the

material needs to be presented in a different way or it could mean that the child needs to work

harder. Not all children learn the same way and not all children have the same determination or

work ethic as their peers. For example, I do not always do well on tests, but I tend to exceed on

projects or written papers. I do not feel that I should not be given tests; I need to study harder. I

know that I excel in some areas, but not in others. I feel that children need to realize that it is

okay for them to have strengths and weaknesses as well.

In addition to academic strength, I believe that children need to become responsible

members of society and it is part of a teachers job to assist in building that foundation of values.

Children need to be able to relate to and have compassion for others around them. When I

assessed my own Philosophical Orientation for class, I fell heavily into the category of Social

Reconstructionism is which not a surprise me at all. While I will strive to incorporate all other

orientations, I will more than likely have an underlying theme of social acceptance in my
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classroom. I hope to show my students how to treat others with my own actions as well as

videos each week demonstrating strength of character. I will infuse reading or writing

assignments with lessons on social justice and inequality. Science will not only be fun; it will

teach the children the responsibility we have to our planet.

I have countless ideas that I cannot wait to put to use in the classroom, but I must first

stick to my own timeline. I have a very strict and busy schedule for completing my BA in

Elementary Education within 3 years. While I am taking a minimum of six classes per semester,

I will continue to volunteer in my childrens classrooms. I find it rewarding to see their

participation in class while helping their teachers get ahead; and I find it helps me gain new ideas

for my own future classroom.

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References

Gardner, H. (2013, March). Frequently asked questionsmultiple intelligences and related

educational topics. Retrieved September 3, 2016, from

https://howardgardner01.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/faq_march2013.pdf