My Philosophy of Education

Teaching is so important especially with younger kids because it is the start of the future
of their education. Teaching is so much more than just curriculum; you get the chance to leave a
lasting impact on a child’s life and help them realize their potential and grow to be the person
they strive to be. I want to make sure that I understand every students’ individualized needs as
best as I can to ensure they are in the best learning environment possible. If I understand a
student’s needs, I can better accommodate the classroom and their work so that it is beneficial
to them.
Existentialism is the philosophy that each student should have personal responsibilities
and have some free will. A student’s role in education is to interact with their classmates in a
positive way and to try their best to understand and put forth effort into everything they do
without being constantly reminded. At the beginning of the year, I will work hard to let the
students know exactly what is expected of them and let them know that I will follow through on
consequences. I will make sure my rules include my expectations of what they should be doing,
how they should be acting, and how they should be treating others, but I also want the students
to be involved in setting these rules so that everyone agrees on the expectations. When it
comes to specific procedures such as walking in the hall or a drill, I will clearly state my
expectations so that everyone knows exactly how they should act and what they should do.
When it comes to testing, I will try to implement creative ways of assessing the students’
understanding using technology, writing, as well as verbal assessments. They should expect me
to be consistent with expectations and consequences, but they should also expect me to be
understanding of their choices.
Progressivism is the philosophy that education should be relevant to the future. My role
as a teacher is to create relationships with each student, be someone that the students can
always talk to, maintain a safe learning environment where each student feels comfortable, and
to leave a lasting impact in each child's life to help them be the best they can be. In addition to
using the required curriculum, I will also help to incorporate as many real-world examples and
practicality as I can. When it comes to discipline, I would like to implement a reward and
consequence system. In elementary school, I like the idea of the fuzzy/treasure reward system.
When I ask a question or see good behavior, I give the student a fuzzy and when they are not
acting in an acceptable manner, I will ask them to put a fuzzy back. At the end of the week,
during the last 30 minutes of the day, the students get to pick a prize, worth a certain amount of
fuzzies, to do during that time. I feel that this system helps prepare students for the real world
and teaches them that there are consequences for your actions. I will be sure to implement
some curriculum that aligns with the tests as well as teaching test-taking strategies so that the
students are more prepared for standardized tests in later years. I also think it’s important that
the students understand that these tests are important, but that they don’t define who you are or
your worth. In the classroom, it’s important for me to be fair and expect the most out of each
student, which I understand is different for each student. Most of your childhood years are spent
in school so it is crucial to their development that they grow up in an encouraging environment.
School is where kids learn not just academically, but also socially. It is so important that before
academic learning can start, there is an emotional connection in the classroom. It’s where they
learn how to be good people and sometimes teachers and students have more of an impact on
other students than even their parents do. I believe that school should be a comfortable
environment for each student and they should have a positive relationship with their teacher and
peers. This is easier to achieve in elementary school but students are still learning manners and
how to interact with others. I feel like a lot of times there isn’t enough effort put in by students to
be kind to each other or by teachers to be able to enforce consequences but still maintain trust
with a student. Many teachers talk down to students when they are in trouble which leads to
repeated behavior instead of talking to them about why they made that choice and why it wasn’t
okay. Progressivism in the classroom is so important for the development of students and for
the preparation of their future.
The quote, “The influence of a good teacher can never be erased” summarizes my
philosophy of education. Using existentialism to teach kids that they should have their own free
will and be responsible for their actions can have a huge impact on their lives and the decisions
they make. Progressivism in the classroom teaches kids to be good people and incorporate
things relevant to the present and future. I hope that I can leave a memorable impact on kids'
lives because learning is all about discovery. It happens quite often when a student decides that
they hate learning because of school, but it should help foster a love of learning because that is
one thing you never stop doing.