Philosophy of Education

My name is Michelle Vargas; I have been working in the field of Education for the past
eighteen years. I have been an Educational Assistant, working in: Pre-K, Kindergarten, behavior
room, first grade, and a one on one. I have learned a lot over the years, not only from my own
experiences, but also from observing other teachers in the field of Education. A quote that has
stood out to me over the years is, “We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting
on experience”-John Dewey, and this is something that I feel that I am constantly doing. I have
learned that the most effective teacher’s are the teacher’s that are prepared. They have a vision
of what they want the students to learn, and how they plan on implementing the material. These
teacher’s also have excellent classroom management and organization, not only in the classroom
environment but in the way that they are prepared for the day and how they present new things to
the students. These teachers’s are also always monitoring the student’s progress and their
potential. They differentiate materials according the students individual needs. These teachers
have been role models to me. I have learned techniques and have gained skills that I use now as
an Educational Assistant, and I plan on using them when I finally get my degree and have my
own classroom. Another quote that is inspirational to me is, “The most important attitude that
can be formed is that of desire to go on learning”-John Dewey, and that is what has pushed me to
try and accomplish one goal at a time, and never give up and know that I am always going to
keep learning and growing.

The purpose of Education has many different layers.The first is gaining knowledge about
something that has not already been learned, and knowing that learning is both a process and an
outcome. Education is not only the knowledge that is in our thoughts but it is also the
experiences that we learn along the way in life. We develop our education through our life
experiences as well. A quote that has stood out to me is, “Live, make mistakes, Learn, and
grow”. I feel that education is more than just being in school, it is educating ourselves on
everything around us.

When it comes to education in the school setting, the role of the student’s is to come to
school prepared to learn about different topics, and subjects, and from each other. Also I want
the students to know what Lev Vygotsky once said, “What a child can do today with assistance,
she will be able to do by herself tomorrow,” I want them to know this because, things might
seem hard now and challenging, but as they master thing their knowledge will only grow, and
before they know it they can do it without even thinking about it. As for the role of parents and
families in education, it is important for parents to be participants in their child’s learning, as
well as to have good communication with the teacher. This should be on a weekly basis, by using
methods of: E-mail, Class Dojo, face to face, or at parent teacher conferences. This helps
everyone be on the same page, as far as expectations for the child’s needs and goals. This is also
a great way to build a relationship with the student’s family. I have learned that we encounter
many families from different cultures and religions, and as a teacher you have to help support the
needs and wants of the students and their families.
 I have wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl. I wanted to help be a part of the
children’s learning process. I have always been excited to see the children’s expressions as they
learn something new, and when they know something and they want to share it with the class. I
have had a lot of bumps along the road to becoming a teacher, but my drive doesn’t let me give
up. I want to share that quality with my own children as well as the children that I work with. I
want to be able to inspire the students that I work with, and challenge them to learn to their full
potential. I want to be a part of their everyday learning process, and help them learn new skills
that will help them in my classroom as well as in life. What drives me every day to be in the
classroom, is that I can help make a difference is students lives.

My experiences as a learner was difficult, I had some teacher that would yell and not give
the help that I needed with my struggles with Reading as a child. As an adult I have encounter
teachers who seem to not have the student’s best needs at heard and have really given me a hard
time and made me not feel very confident in myself. These encounters have made me stronger
and have made me see what kind of teacher I don’t want to be. I have a better understanding of
the needs of students who have learning challenges and how to implement technology and other
strategies to help them be successful in their learning.

When I think of effective teaching I think of a teacher who has a plan. They come to
work and are happy to see the students, they know what they want to teach and how they are
going to teach it, and they have a plan b, as well, because there are times when something
doesn’t go the way we think and we have another way to do it. I also feel that as an effective
teacher you have a classroom with rules in place, and the students are able to come into a
classroom that is a safe learning environment.

When I think of a classroom with meaningful learning, I picture an environment where

students are sitting in groups, or centers. Communicating with each other and talking about
projects that they are working on, and/or problem solving together, I also picture effective
teaching on going. With the teacher who is using ELA strategies, like talk and share, small
groups, and encouraging the student to be independent. I also feel that it is important to keep the
classroom environment safe and free of clutter. Have the classroom labeled, and have activities
that the students that finish faster than othersare able to do that can help them grow in their skills,
and abilities. What I have learned over the years is that it is essential to have the classroom
environment work as a second teacher; it helps with the mental health of the teacher, when things
go smooth.

When I think about how students learn best, I would have to say that it really depends on
the student. All students learn in different ways, and it is the teacher’s job to teach things in
different ways to help with all students different learning abilities. I do feel that it is important to
have things around the classroom as helping tools for the students like a word wall, alphabet,
number lines, or anything that they can reference. I think it is important to try centers, small
reading groups, so that as a teacher you can have a better understanding of how that student is
learning and what might need to be re-taught in a different way so that the students will have a
better understanding.

The purpose of Education in America today, is defined differently depending on the

person. I feel that the purpose of education is to help one, gain knowledge so that they can be
successful in life. Then they can obtain a good job, and be able to support their families. Also,
having an education helps a person make good choices for their future. With a good education
students will learn how to read and write, and do math, and have strategies that will help them as
they proceed into higher learning and the work field. America has the same national educational
system so that everyone is learning the same kinds of things, as well as being on the same
grading system.