Tracie Penny

November 16, 2019

ETEC-424-02W

Professor Wolfe

Educational Philosophy Statement

“True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to

cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their

own.”

― ​Nikos Kazantzakis

There are so many educational philosophy statements that I agree with and can relate to. I

chose the quote by Nikos Kazantzakis because I can relate my teaching views and styles with it

the most. It is important to have a teaching philosophy for a teacher to reflect and have a

structured goal to pursue and stay focused on. My goals as a teacher are to promote an optimal

learning environment, set high expectations for every student, and create a love for learning.

There are many purposes of education and many ways to implement teaching. The main points I

will focus on is how I view education, what learning means, and the actions I will take as a

teacher.
 What is education? There is not a single definition to define education. I believe

education has various meanings and components. A person’s attitude determines their education.

If a student has a positive attitude and a growth mindset, they are more likely to put forth effort,

try harder, and be successful. As a teacher, I will model a positive attitude, encourage students in

everything they do, and help them set goals. Getting an education is not just memorizing

information or gaining knowledge, but learning how to obtain information. Every student is

different and has unique learning styles. A teacher should be able to help determine the way a

student can learn and provide variation in the facilitation of teaching. As a teacher, I will give my

students choices in their learning to increase interest and give students different avenues to learn

the material. Lastly, with the internet being our biggest and most accessible form of resource,

students need to be taught how to access quality and verifiable sources of information on the

internet.

Knowledge is not just retaining a lot of facts, but being able to learn. Teachers should be

able to help facilitate learning to the different style of learners such as, visual learners, auditory

learners, kinesthetic learners, or tactile learners. As a teacher, I will help children make

meaningful connections. Learning is enhanced when a student can make connections to a past

experience or relate to a real-life situation. Even if some students do not have rich or varying

experiences, or they are from a different culture, it is the teacher’s responsibility to build
experiences through things like virtual field trips or videos and include various cultures in the

curriculum.

Another important aspect for teaching and learning is that students need to feel safe and

comfortable in their classroom and the teacher should try to build purposeful relationships with

the students. An optimal learning environment can be achieved when students feel safe; safe

from ridicule and bullying. I feel it is important to get to know my students to help make more

meaningful connections to their learning. I will provide a safe classroom where students can feel

comfortable in making mistakes without feeling embarrassed or humiliated by their peers. When

the environment is pleasant and the relationships are good, more learning takes place.

Teachers should be the bridge for students’ learning, facilitating knowledge and not being

a dominating instructor. I will model ways of learning for my students, vary instruction as

needed, and encourage them to think independently. Teachers should act as a scaffold, providing

support and cues but cut back as students progress, letting them grow, learn, and think for

themselves. This helps students understand how to think and learn and also helps build

knowledge like critical thinking, creativity, analyzing, expression, and gaining skills in reading

and writing. My views on learning are best aligned with the constructivist theory. I feel like

students will learn best by being actively engaged, experimenting and problem-solving, and even
collaborating with their peers. This type of active learning increases students’ interest and allows

them to take ownership and pride in their work.

Over the twenty-two years of working with children, in school settings, foster homes,

and even with my own seven children, my views and philosophy of education has progressively

changed. I feel like with experience comes wisdom. The constructivist theory aligns with my

beliefs because I feel like children learn best through building on prior knowledge and being

actively engaged to build that knowledge. Our job as teachers is to prepare our students for

adulthood. Teaching these skills and life skills will prepare our students for life after high school.

I leave off with a great quote that further demonstrates my views, “Tell me and I forget. Teach

me and I remember. Involve me and I learn,” (Benjamin Franklin).

 References

Kazantzakis, N. (2019). ​Nikos Kazantzakis Quotes (Author of Zorba the Greek)​. [online] Goodreads.com.

Retrieved September 20, 2019 from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5668.Nikos_Kazantzakis

McLeod, S. A. (2019, July 17). Constructivism as a theory for teaching and learning. Simply Psychology.

[online]. Retrieved November 15, 2019 from https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html