Educational Philosophy 1

Post Personal Philosophy Statement

Kylie Mirjanian

Professor Hudson

College of Southern Nevada

Fall 2017
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The Purpose

The outstanding purpose of special education in our society and community is to include

and assist every individual in order to allow all to succeed to the best of their abilities. The past

has shown too often to exclude students who were different. Those who struggled and those who

exceeded were forced to mold with the general education students. They were held back or

shoved forward, unable to grow and learn at their own rate; they weren’t given the tools to learn

in their own way. This is changing with the growth of special education. Students are able to

learn in a smaller classroom with students they can relate to and teachers who have more

experience dealing with their specific attributes and who have spent time developing their

individualized education plan. The purpose of special education is to focus on moving students

who vary from the norm towards independence and intelligence to the greatest of their individual

extent.

Teachers’ Role

What I have learned through the semester is that the teacher’s role in the classroom is to

go above and beyond to assist one’s students, to work hard with parents, co-teachers, specialized

teachers, and, of course, the students, to learn about one’s students’ individual disabilities and

develop involved action plans for that specific child concerning their needs. Teachers are the go-

to people. They have that child’s education in their hands. Every child is capable of learning,

growing, expanding their knowledge, and becoming independent to the best of their abilities, but

this doesn’t simply flow from them. They must have a support system that begins with the

educator. Teachers, hopefully, have every support system they could hope for, that simply need

to be utilized. Co-teachers, specialized teachers, administration, the student themselves, and the

parents are all critical parts of the support system. Google is also a critical part because research
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of the disabilities that one’s students’ are faced with can allow for greater knowledge and

understanding on how best to establish a growth pattern and understand their learning styles,

which can be pivotal for a good IEP. The teacher’s role is not simply to teach. It is to learn.

Learn one’s students, learn about differences and learn to be accepting, learning patience,

learning inclusion, learning how to make a difference in every child’s life, not just the ones who

fit the general education requirements.

Modes of Learning

I believe students with disabilities learn best in many different types of settings. There are

students with very specific and debilitating disabilities that require more time, more rigorous

effort, and who learn better in a smaller class setting with students who are similar to them. But,

others learn better in general education classroom, working to achieve at the rate of general

education students. I think one of the most incredible lessons of this class was the fact that no

two students learn the same. And problems have arisen in the past concerning education due to

the fact that people developed education to have a right and a wrong. Students must learn the

right way, the normal way, or else they are wrong, and therefore unteachable. This idea is

absolutely incorrect, and education is being further developed to support the idea that students

learn in different environments, with different learning styles, and different people. They respond

differently to different things. Every child is their own person and must be learned and

understood and be given the same opportunity as any other child to learn how they best learn.

My Goals

My goal for my students with special needs is that they will leave my class better in every

way than they were when they came in. There should be absolutely no reason why they leave and

say, “Well, this class just wasn’t for me.” The goal for my classroom is that every child is taught
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the lessons they need to be taught, whether that means going out of my way to develop an

entirely different lesson plan for that individual because they simply don’t learn like their

counterparts. They will be given every opportunity, every support system, and every ounce of

encouragement that I can give so that they can grow and be the strong independent, individuals

that I know every child can become.

Qualities of a Teacher

An effective special education teacher should have a great many qualities, the first of

which I will say is patience. This is not a normal classroom. From what I have seen and learned

from this class and my observation hours, a special education classroom will consist of a bunch

of little minds and bodies that learn, grow, comprehend, and respond in entirely different ways. I

can imagine how astronomically exhausting the task must be to give absolutely everything every

day and somehow still fall short, or simply not get through to one’s students that day, or be met

with a barrier from supporters. I can imagine that the only way to keep going is to take a deep

breath and be patient. Other really great qualities that I believe one must have a special ed

teacher is to be encouraging, positive, energetic, enthusiastic, caring, kind, firm, and remember

that they are a supporting role, and that they must develop this child to become their own

independent individual.

Ability of Students to Learn

I absolutely, 100%, believe that every single student can learn. Every student is different.

And they might not grow or expand their knowledge at the rate of others, but they can ALL

learn. While it might be that they must be given the proper tools to be able to learn in their own

way, which could possibly consist of entirely different tools from another student, they all have

the capacity to become better than they are.

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Changes through the Semester

My educational philosophy has changed from the one I wrote at the beginning of the

semester. Not in that I would take away any of my goals or ideas from the first one, but I do have

much to add. I’ve expanded my knowledge of special education students specifically and I have

a great passion to work towards a better education for all students. I still strongly believe that my

classroom should and will be student-centered, focusing on my students and their needs. But, to

add to that, I also think that every student deserves to feel included. And that they should be

given every opportunity to grow far beyond what is expected of them. They should achieve,

exceed, and inspire others. They just need an incredible support system and a strong teacher. I

have renewed inspiration to do what I can for every single student and I hope that is what I

achieve.