Philosophy Statement

By McKenzie Schilz

EDUC 201:Foundations of Education

Instructor: Samra Cullum

 My philosophy of education is that every child deserves to receive the best a teacher can

give. This includes having a welcome and open environment; a caring and receptive attitude; and

attentive and flexible teaching methods. I firmly believe that students are unique individuals, and

they all deserve to be able to express themselves and learn in an environment that reflects that. I

think that as a teacher it is my job to set up students to reach their full potential by creating

lifelong learners; so that students can move forward to their next stage in education and life.

I aim to bring to the class an open and inviting attitude and a sense of community and

trust and as such the classroom will be designed in an inclusive layout to reflect this as well. The

children that come into my class are learning the rules of life and of the classroom. They deserve

to know that they can make mistakes in learning and in life without fear of unfair repercussions.

I will implement 'mastery' style learning since I think that no student deserves to be held

back from excelling or left behind. Students who move more quickly should be allowed to move

forward, and students who move more slowly should be allowed to learn the topic before moving

on. I also believe that because every classroom is a unique community and as such I will create

and present a curriculum that allows for this. Children have different ways of learning,

expressing themselves and behaving. I believe that they can learn better with things that reflect

their own learning styles. I will also present plenty of opportunities for students to be hands-on

and engaged, because I firmly believe in any stage of learning- but especially so in the early

stages- that the best learning can happen away from the desk. As Jean Piaget theory suggests,

problem-solving skills cannot be taught, they have to be discovered. Students will have

opportunities to do interactive lessons, experiments and assignments. I believe that a teacher

should do their best to include different styles of learners while considering the young student

that is in their classroom is there to learn not only the curriculum but how to learn.