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Lisa Dickson

EDU-201-2004

February 21, 2020

Personal Philosophy of Education

My name is Lisa Dickson. I have been a stay at home mom for over 17 years. I love to

read. Mostly I read Young Adult fiction. I love movies and books with all things fairytales and

make believe. I ran a 5K last December and hope to run another one this year. I love vinyl and

decorate with it everywhere. I really enjoy sewing and making my children matching Easter

outfits. I love to cook everything but mostly treats. Our family hardly ever eats out because I

love to cook so much.

I have four amazing children. Dakota is 18 years old and goes to CSN taking online

classes. Hunter is 16 and he is a Junior in high school. They share the same birthday two years

apart. My husband was quite upset with my two years apart planning. Liberty is next. She is 12

almost 13 and is in the seventh grade. Jericho is last, he is ten years old and he is in fifth grade.

They are my pride and joy and I love them so much. When I was a child all I wanted was to be a

mom. For the last few years I have been wondering what I was going to be when my kids grow

up and I’m no longer needed as a stay-at-home mom.

For the last 12 years I have spent many hours at my children’s schools. I would help in

the office, in the classroom, in the copy room, and in the lunchroom. I ran the Parent Teacher

Association (PTA), served on the board or whatever was needed. I helped with fundraisers and

carnivals. I graded papers, gave spelling tests, and read with children. I decorated bulletins and

took down bulletins. The teachers asked and I made it happen. My children’s teachers work so

hard every day. I wanted to give them extra time when they got home to enjoy their families. I
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feel like I know what to expect as a teacher with all of the help I have given. I also had the

opportunity to really observe a classroom last year in my field observation and I really enjoyed

it. She answered a lot of questions for me and I learned a lot about school politics and the great

work a teacher does. I love children and love to see their expressions when they master a skill or

figure something out.

When I was doing my field observation, the teacher I was watching demonstrated many

instructional strategies. My absolute favorite was when she said “Class, Class,” and her class

responded “Yes, Yes.” It was a great attention getter and I will definitely find one of my own. I

also think it will be great to do some role playing in my classroom, acting out stories we read or

history lessons we learn. I really like discussion sessions not just me telling them in lecture form,

but asking them questions and getting answers. I also think we will do a lot of brainstorming

together as a class and individually to help us decide what we want to learn about and to help us

remember what we are learning. I would also like to implement a lot of hands on learning were

the kids are demonstrating things or working with their hands as they learn.

I know that kids have many challenges that they face at home. They could have no food,

no place to sleep, no one to help them get to and from school or help them with their homework.

They could be mentally or physically abused. A pet could die. A relative could die. I might not

know what is happing at home. I believe it is my job to know. I think that as a teacher I will want

to get to know my kids as much as I can so that I will be able to see when something is off. Then

I can take some time and talk to them about it and see if there is anything I can do for them. I

have to listen to them and be their friend. I think that my own life experiences will help me

recognize some of the things in my students that others might not see and give me additional

skills that will be helpful in the classroom. If something happens at school then I will fix it for
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them so that they know they can trust me. I will love and appreciate them no matter what. I will

be a role model to these children. I will expect kindness of all the children in my classroom and

hold them to the standard so that everyone feels safe and welcome. I know that this is not an easy

task, but I know I can do it.

I went thru all of these philosophies earlier this year and thought that they were all crazy.

I carefully went through them again and I decided that I was probably essentialism. That was that

I thought. I did not know that there was a test that I could take. I took the test and it said that I

was progressivism at 21 and existentialism at 19. Very close on both of those. Essentialism was

tied at 15 with something else. I guess I was totally off. I think that I fit into the progressivism

because of how each child learns different and at a different level. You cannot have a really

smart child in your class and not help them to keep learning. You also can not have a child fall

way behind without helping them find a way to get caught up. You still need to make sure to

teach what is expected for the tests and what is required but also feel free to leave the box and

the work sheets behind. Let the kids help pick the projects. What do they want to learn about? I

also agree very much that learning is essentially active and not passive.

I feel like you don’t need to identify a single philosophy around which you build your

whole teaching career. Few teachers just follow one philosophy. A teacher’s behavior is changed

by student’s needs, interests, economic conditions, school, social forces and the community. This

all means I don’t have to fit in a mold, I can adapt and change to meet my schools, students’, and

community’s needs.

I am so pleased that we live in a world that is willing to grow and change. When I spent

some time studying the beginning of schools, I learned how schools were mostly for boys.
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Schools were also mostly for children to learn how to read the bible. It made me sad. I am

grateful that we do not segregate our students. I am overjoyed that there are laws to help children

with disabilities have the same opportunities as children without. I am also thankful to the laws

still being passed today about gender equality. No one should be bullied or made fun of for

anything at school or anywhere else. I am in debt to the people who continue to make changes to

our school laws.

There are many traits and skills that I have adapted over my life that will be useful in

teaching. Some I am still working on and some I have mastered. I think optimism is one of the

most important. I need to always look for the good in my students and believe the very best of

them, to start fresh every day. Generosity is another. Give of yourself freely without expecting

anything in return. Teaching is a very selfless job. Love, patience, and kindness are three very

important attributes and without them I don’t think you could teach. You need kindness towards

your coworkers; and love and patience with your students. Every teacher needs to be determined

to help each child succeed. I will need to be adventurous to grab their attention and keep it and to

make school enjoyable for them. The list really is endless and sometimes daunting but great

teachers pull it off and I think I can as well.

I guess my philosophy of education is that all children are unique. Every single child is

different like a shoe size. Every student needs a stimulating educational environment where they

can grow. Growth should take place in all four of these areas not just one or two; physically,

mentally, emotionally, and socially. I will strive to create this atmosphere in my classroom every

day where students can meet their full potential. I will provide a safe environment where students

are invited to share their ideas and take risks.

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I believe that a teacher is morally obligated to enter the classroom with only the highest

of expectations for each and every one of her students. Challenge them every day and expect

them to meet these challenges. I will teach my students dedication, perseverance, and hard work

my students will accomplish all that is expected of them to achieve. I aim to bring an open mind

and a positive attitude to the classroom each day. Every day is a new day. I will start fresh and

give each student the same benefit of a fresh start. I believe that I owe it to my students, as well

as the community, to bring consistency in all that I do and teach so that the students know what

to expect and what is expected of them. I must be diligent in my efforts with each student,

finding a way to help them succeed. I will love each student and hope that loving warmth is felt

with all I work with in hopes that I can ultimately inspire and encourage such traits in the

children as well.

Every classroom has its own unique community, my classroom will be different then

your teacher last year, my classroom was different last year and will be different next year. My

role as the teacher will be to assist each child in developing their own potential and learning

styles. I will present a curriculum that will incorporate each different learning style, as well as

make the content relevant to the students' lives. I will incorporate hands-on learning, cooperative

learning, projects, themes, and individual work that engage and activate students learning.

Together we can find how best each student learns and help them learn and grow to the best that

they can be. I will incorporate technology into my classroom every day, giving each student a

chance to be familiar with technology and to learn from it.

I am excited to have a classroom of my own. I know that there will be different

backgrounds, races, native languages, special needs, and gifted and talented students in every

class I teach. My job is to implement my goals stated above with every child and their unique
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learning circumstances. I must help every child to succeed, every student learns differently, and I

need to find how they learn best so I can do so. It should not matter what background, race,

native language, or special needs, each student should have a goal that they can make and

accomplish a little or a lot every day depending on how they learn. I will be patient, kind,

understand and intuitive to each student each day.