Tracie Penny

9/16/19

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. 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? 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.

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

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 have not experienced much 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 great relationships with the

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

place.
 Teachers should be the bridge for students’ learning. Facilitating knowledge, not being a

dominating instructor. Teachers should model for 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 gain skills in reading and writing. 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.

References

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

at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5668.Nikos_Kazantzakis [Accessed 20 Sep. 2019].