Mendez 1

Hailey Mendez Roster #11

Education 201 - 3002

Philosophical Portrait of Myself - Education Philosophy

Up to this point in my life, my days have consisted of attending school, going to sports,

being at church twice a week, and long nights of studying and preparing projects. There was

never time for a break, reflection was nothing more than looking in the mirror for me. I believe

that the way one teaches, and views education is entirely impacted upon their upbringing. I

wonder, if I had not gone to the schools I have attended and met the people I have met; would I

be here today? If this is Gods path for me, to teach and provide essential lessons for the future,

for children, then I am exactly where I belong and everything that has crossed my path in the

past was for a reason beyond my ability to understand. I have developed an intense passion to

succeed in school with motivation from within because of the teachers I have had, and I hope to

bring that into my classroom five years from now and beyond.

I have had many different teachers in the past all with unique teaching styles and values.

From teachers who favor copying notes from a textbook to teachers allowing myself to construct

and present a dance to demonstrate the timeline of the Titanic, I have encountered a copious

amount of teaching methods. Consequently, I find that I as a student succeed most when I choose

the project that I work on. Building relationships through group work and inviting creativity has

always been my preferred was of learning course material. Growing up in a world of agendas

and schedule, I view choices and freedom as essential in education. Attending an arts integrated

charter school when I was young, I was exposed to students driven learning which conjured up

self-motivation. At the same time, I must appreciate the teachers at that time who have

challenged me through struggle for they were paving the person that I am today, one who

perseveres. Upon taking my first education course online, I have realized some things about the
 [Last Name] 2

teaching profession that cause me to readjust my preconceived ideas about what and educator

does and who they are in this world.

Today students are focused on answering questions and not asking questions. They focus

on the grade they get and not the lessons they learn to get there. I believe that progressivism is

the essential teaching style needed in our schools to bring children back to a love of education.

Progressivism brings life into the classroom and challenges students to get out of a textbook and

reflect upon the world and their passions. Students need a place where they can explore and feel

as though they are in charge of their learning, they need to turn on their brains and discover the

messiness of learning. With a teacher not feeding them knowledge as essentialism favors, the

teacher can now work on creating bonds with their students as the students push each other to

reflect upon their thinking and the challenges they are faced with in and out of classroom. The

times have changed, and education must reflect the new brains coming into the classroom for

today students are reliable upon outside forces such as technology. Progressivism reenergizes the

class as students drive their learning, think critically, and become self-motivated and reflective

citizens.

In five years, I see myself organizing a classroom into different sections as I prepare for a

day of adventurous learning. Placing bean bags at a carpet with thoughtful books, setting up a

board game at round table nearby, placing chairs in a circle to prepare for a debate, I see myself

inviting students into a learning environment where they hold the power. I see myself carefully

planning each activity so that no matter what option of learning a child chooses, they will master

the standards required. In five years, I hope to have graduated from UNR with my bachelor's in

education and setting up my classroom for an impactful school day. Preparing in such a way that

every day when students leave my classroom, they are not brain dead and tired, but energized

and continuing to reflect and ask one another thoughtful questions. To shape students to express
 [Last Name] 3

their beliefs and individuality in the classroom will leave an impact that standing at the front of a

class with students having to raise their hands to speak their minds cannot achieve. Yes, teachers

are responsible for determining what is and what is not important to teach, but there is so much

more that goes into the profession of an educator.

Facilitator, supporter, coach, and role model, good teachers fill all of these roles. A

teacher who can persevere through the arduous tasks of fulfilling these roles for their students

will prove to leave a lasting impression on their students. Teachers of a progressive classroom

are to facilitate learning and shape students into thoughtful leaders who manage their own

success. A supporter, a classroom contains students with all uniquely different home lives, some

with nurturing environments and some without. To be able to learn, students must first obtain the

basic necessities of life and of those being shelter, safety, and belonging. A good teacher

provides this their students and makes the classroom a place of security in order to allow ideas to

be born. Though, teachers should never lose sight that they are a main figure in students' lives

and should be a person of guidance and provide advice as much as they put students in charge.

Teachers need not to be laxed, but a gate keeper of education as they progress students along in

their lives.

This course of laying out the basics of teaching, has allowed me to possess the knowledge

that teaching is more than preparing students for a test. Teachers must learn the history of the

profession, to understand the reality of education. Faced with diversity, teachers must overcome

barriers of stereotypes and multiple intelligences. We as educators are tasked with not teaching

just students, but humans that are evolving into citizens of our future. We must attend rigorous

preparation so we may be the teachers that students are craving; teachers who light students on

fire for their right to learn. We must bridge the gap between home, the community, history and
 [Last Name] 4

our school to allow students to recognize their self-potential. Teachers must unlock a world of

education and bring students to the desire to become the most that one can be.