Person First, Student Second: Humanist Educational Philosophy

In regard to educational philosophies, I have a humanist perspective. I believe that

humans, especially students, are innately good. They want to learn and should be given
autonomy and choice in the classroom, just like they get in other aspects of their lives. For
example, with classroom organization, students should have a say in both the physical set-up of
the classroom, but also the learning structure. Giving students a choice as to which topics they
would like to cover first helps give them a sense of autonomy in the classroom, which in turn
makes them feel empowered. We are trying to prepare them for the real world where their
opinions will matter, so their opinions should matter in the classroom as well. This goes along
with classroom climate. I want my students to know that I believe in their innate goodness. By
giving students choice in what happens in the classroom, I will in turn be able to create a positive
classroom climate that students feel comfortable in. While I believe that students are intrinsically
motivated on their own for the most part, I do believe that sometimes they need a little push.
Having a positive classroom climate can help with their motivation. All students want to learn,
it’s just a matter of finding what they want to learn about and how to include that in your
teaching. In addition, giving them the courage that they need to be successful is key in helping
keep them motivated.
While I do believe that all students are good, I also recognize that things will not always
go according to plan, which is where discipline comes into play. I will be the first to admit that
discipline is my biggest weakness as an educator, but that also makes it my biggest opportunity
to connect with students. I do believe that students would never mean to hurt each other without
a reason, since everyone is intrinsically good. I discipline reasonably—meaning that I want to
dig deeper than what seems to be a problem. If a student is acting out, there must be something
else going on, and in order to truly fix the problem, we need to first find out what the source is.
Therefore, I like to have a conversation with students beforehand to find out what the root of the
problem is before I discipline them.
The last classroom aspect that needs to be addressed is homework. While homework has
the potential to be beneficial, I believe that it can harm some students more than it can help them.
Students should have a choice as to whether they do the homework or not, and therefore, it
should not be something that is critical to their learning and comprehension. It should be extra
work that the students can use to practice if they need it. All students have different
socioeconomic statuses, and therefore have different resources at their disposal. While I do
believe that all students want to learn and therefore want to do the homework since they know
what is best for them, I also understand that this does not always work because of other factors in
life. Overall, I do believe that students should be treated with respect and given autonomy since
they are innately good.