Philosophy of Education

Paige N. Ballard

It is my belief that education is the basis for everything else in life. Without education,
it would be impossible to make advancements or progress. Education provides information
and tools that are needed to be successful. The most important aspect of education is how
classes are led. Students should be in charge of their education, and the teacher is there for
guidance and support. A teacher should not be forcing their students to learn a certain way.
Instead, a teacher should be understanding that everyone learns in different ways and at
differing paces.

Teachers are the people that help students expand their knowledge and learn new
things. I believe that teachers should start by focusing on what students already know, what
they have just started to learn and on what information they have a firm grasp. From there,
a teacher can decide how to structure the class: how small groups will be made, the levels
for each small group, and how the groups will learn best. The pace at which groups move
should vary throughout the school year; it would be impossible to plan this in advance. This
is, in my opinion, the only way students will be able to fully understand concepts.

The role of a teacher is guide and support. To me, this means a teacher is more of a
mentor than a leader. By this, I mean that a teacher is not necessarily in charge but rather is
someone to give out information and answer questions as they arise. Teaching is
essentially the giving and development of information.

I do not feel that teachers should be strict on due dates and tests. Instead, I believe
teachers should be giving opportunities for improvement. One example would be giving
back partial credit on tests and/or quizzes by doing corrections. Another example is having
more leniency on due dates and late work. While late work should not always be
acceptable, there are instances when it should be: allow a certain amount of late
assignments, not docking points until a certain amount of time passed the due date, etc.
This allows students to see what they did wrong or did not understand and gives them an
opportunity to correct themselves and learn.

A teacher’s goal, and my goal as a teacher, is to enhance the wellbeing and

knowledge of the students. Teachers should never ignore the needs of their students. If the
students do not for comfortable, anything going on in the classroom will be pointless. I
believe teachers should be someone students can rely on for support that goes further than
a lesson plan. A teacher should be a resource, someone to talk to about issues and
problems. Further, a teacher should not be measured by the grades of their students.
Instead, the quality of a teacher should be determined by the progress and improvement of
their students. I believe if I help my students better understand a concept, I have done my
job.