Running head: MY EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT 1

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Your Name (First M. Last)

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MY EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT 2

Abstract

It is important, as an educator, to establish an educational philosophy. Establish what you

believe makes an outstanding teacher and strive to uphold those skills and characteristics. Every

teacher may have different views, but in my case I believe that respect, belonging, and

accessibility make up an excellent teacher and healthy classroom environment.

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My Educational Philosophy Statement

Albert Einstein once said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative

expression and knowledge.” This means teachers do not simply convey knowledge, teachers

teach students to obtain that knowledge on their own. (Marschhausen, 2016) I believe that it is a

teacher's job to not only teach, but inspire their students. And this can be done in many ways. An

appreciated teacher will hold these characteristics close to their heart. Respect, belonging, and

accessibility. And I aspire to live up to these characteristics when it comes my turn.

Respect is very important to me. Everyone wants to be respected no matter how old they

are, student or teacher, boss or employee, and so on. I have been in many circumstances when

authority figures, such as teachers, demand respect without giving an inch of respect in return. In

too many instances students are seen as burdens or kids teachers can push around. This in no way

goes for all teachers, but it happens more often than one would expect. In my case, I have had a

teacher make me their ‘gofer.’ If you are not sure what that means it is a term to explain a task or

errand runner. Which is fine and all, but he was doing so to multiple students, taking them away

from valuable class time, and with not even a simple, thank you, in return. They were simple

tasks that he was too lazy to do on his own. And if we refused he would get annoyed. Now this is

a minor example of disrespecting students and he was capable of way worse. But the point is, is

we felt no remorse in disrespecting him because he showed no respect for us. And that is not a

healthy relationship between teachers and students. Respect, like a lot of things, goes both ways,

and stems from the saying, “treat others the way you want to be treated.”

There are many ways a teacher can create a belonging environment in the classroom. I

think it is important to establish classroom rules no matter what subject you are teaching. And

not rules such as, clean up after yourself. Although rules like that are important, I am talking
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about the rules that make each and every student feel like they belong or are being included. This

can be established by a no bullying tolerated rule. Or creating group projects and mixing up the

groups every once in a while. It is important that the student knows that they can depend on help

and support from the class just as much as the teacher. Another thing is making sure the student

feels heard, and again respected. Some teachers get frustrated too fast when questions are asked.

I know I have asked a question to a teacher before that may have been self explanatory or said

once before and I unintentionally missed it. And it is embarrassing when a teacher calls you out

for asking something that was already said. An observant teacher should be able to tell whether

the student was not paying attention, or just honestly did not hear what was said. I want to make

it known that asking questions is important. Sometimes the same questions are asked for

clarification. It all comes down to how the student learns. I myself, feel the need for extra

clarification in case I missed something or I found it difficult to understand. That in no way

means I was not listening, and I think that is important for any teacher to keep in mind.

When you want to be great at anything, you must put in more time and effort than the

bare minimum. The bare minimum will make you average, but not great. Time and effort varies

on the subject you teach. For instance I will be teaching art. Art in upper levels can be very

tedious, and if you are serious about it, time consuming. As a student I do not know how many

times I had to stay after class to work on an art project because it was my passion and I wanted to

make it great. I was lucky enough to have teachers willing to stay after school and open their

classroom for students to work. They could have said, “You’re behind? Well figure it out.”

Obviously teachers have lives outside of school, but to be an excellent teacher I believe you

should devote time to staying after school to help the students that need extra time. Another thing

to do is offer supplies to borrow and take home. With art you sometimes need special materials
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that you do not typically have at home. Offering those supplies to borrow makes you accessible

to the student even if you are not physically there. Accessibility can also be shown through good

listening skills. Sometimes students just need a listening ear, whether it is to express themselves,

something good in their lives, or possibly something they are struggling with. This all ties

together with respect and belonging. Students just want to be heard, and too often they are

ignored by poor teaching skills.

There are many important skills and characteristics that an outstanding teacher should

have, but not everyone is perfect. These are just a few of my most important qualities in a

teacher, but honestly these skills do not need to be mastered all at once. Just like anything else,

establishing your career as a teacher and establishing those characteristics is a learning

experience. But as long as you strive for them, you are set out to be an excellent educator.

References

Marschhausen, Dr. John. “It Is the Supreme Art of the Teacher to Awaken Joy in Creative

Expression and Knowledge. – Albert Einstein.” Life in Focus, November 10, 2016.
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https://lifeinfocus.me/2016/11/10/it-is-the-supreme-art-of-the-teacher-to-awaken-joy-in-cre

ative-expression-and-knowledge-albert-einstein/#:~:text=2016%20122%20Words-,It%20is

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e%20on%20their%20own.&text=We%20cultivate%20the%20art%20and,by%20educating

%20the%20whole%20child.