Progress With the Essentials at Hand

Vincent O’Neil

Introduction to Special Education 203

Personal Philosophy

Monday, November 28, 2020

 My educational philosophy is Essentialism and Progressivism. “Progressive education

conceives of reality as temporal; it rejects all dualisms and stresses intelligence over knowledge.

At its core is a commitment to the creation of present experiences that expand the

meaningfulness and efficaciousness of future experiences. Thus, progressive educators engage

children in experiences that call for action, inquiry, experimentation, and collaboration”

(Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy 664). “Essentialism in education asserts

that common and essential ideas and skills belonging to a certain culture should be taught to all

citizens at the same level at especially primary school level” (Sahin 193). I believe that all

children should be taught core subjects but should not be lectured for an entire school day. I

want students to be able to demonstrate to me that they can apply and utilize the information that

I am teaching them. I will develop a yearlong project that revolves around all subjects being

taught. The project will be different for each student, depending on their strengths and

aspirations; time will be set aside each day for them to work on this project, independently or

with peers.

I am wanting to be a teacher because I enjoy learning and sharing what I know. I had a

difficult time in my adolescent years and with the help of some teachers and my family I was

able to graduate and continue on to college. I am wanting to inspire and motivate other young

minds. The amount of attention and focus on the individual is where I am drawn to

Progressivism. Without this attention and focus I could have slipped through the cracks and not

graduated high school. “The onus is on the child’s tutor to (a) place the child in an engaging

environment, (b) closely observe what the child is learning, and (c) determine how to alter the

environment based on what should be learned next” (Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and

Philosophy 661). I am not saying that we need to coddle our students, for I agree with
essentialists in that, “…the teacher is the sole authority, he or she must be academically well-

qualified, appreciate and promote learning and character development. The teacher must also

control the students and determine how to distribute appropriate rewards and penalties” (Sahin

199).

My strategies will be a blend of those that essentialists and progressivists use. A main

principle in essentialism education is that “The curriculum covers core subjects and essential

knowledge and skills are given in the textbooks. In addition, academic rigor is essential for the

transfer of the knowledge in the textbooks” (Sahin 199). These core subjects are the foundation

of our knowledge, but I also want to spark ingenuity and free thought and I will do this through

the use of group work, discussion and a yearlong project. An inspirational philosopher John

“Dewey criticizes traditional education for being dominated by a medieval conception of

learning. It is something which appeals for the most part simply to the intellectual aspect of our

nature, our desire to learn, to accumulate information, to get control of the symbols of learning;

not to our impulses and tendencies to make, to do, to create, to produce, which are in the form of

utility or of art” (Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy 663). I understand that all

students are different and through a blend of Essentialism and Progressivism I will be able to

educate and inspire them to their fullest potentials. Having flexibility with my teaching will play

a big role in how well I execute the style of teaching and the overall value of what I am wanting

to teach.

Qualities I need to move forward in this career include compassion, motivation, creativity

and integrity. I plan to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from UNLV and then

work within Clark County School District after completion of that degree. I plan to volunteer

my time to events and committees within the Clark County School District. My end goal is to
obtain a master’s degree and become a principal or a member of a school board. I plan on

moving out of state once I have some experience established through CCSD. I believe that being

involved with different school districts will broaden and heighten my skills as a teacher. I will

use the progressive idea of prioritizing “intelligent activity…to engage students in activities that

would move their experiences toward greater organization” (Encyclopedia of Educational

Theory and Philosophy 663), and the essential “objective…to transmit the common core

curriculum to students in a systematic and disciplined way” (Sahin 199) to fuel all of my future

endeavors as an educator.
 Works Cited

Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy, edited by D. C. Phillips, SAGE

Publications, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csn/detail.action?docID=1715010.

Şahin, Mehmet. "ESSENTIALISM IN PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, EDUCATION,

SOCIAL AND SCIENTIFIC SCOPES." Journal of Innovation in Psychology, Education

and Didactics, vol. 22, no. 2, 2018, pp. 193-204. ProQuest,

http://ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-

com.ezproxy.library.csn.edu/docview/2416855541?accountid=27953.