1 ​Willoughby Roster #: 28

Bailey Willoughby

EDU 201

Professor Skorupa

22 October 2018

Philosophy Paper

Ever since middle school I knew that I really wanted to become a teacher when I became

older. My band teacher was the one who inspired me to become a music teacher. It was not until

my sophomore year that I realized that teaching music was not for me. I will always love and

appreciate music, and what learning an instrument has taught me. It allowed me to remain

discipline, and continue to work hard for what I want in life. Despite having learned these

important lessons, I knew that it was no longer the path for me. I wanted to teach elementary

education. I have always valued my elementary school teachers. I knew that I had to be what

they were to me. I still to this day think very highly of them. I am still able to name each and

every one of them. I knew that that is what I wanted to do with my life. The only issue was that I

did not like kids. I started working at Safekey in 2017. Safekey is a before and after school

program for elementary students. I was able to learn very quickly how much I truly loved being

around children. They are so funny, witty, and amazing to be around. You can still see the light

in their eyes, which is such a beautiful thing to me.

During my freshman year of college I had to do a 10-hour field observation for my

“Introduction to Elementary Education” class. Each time I went to observe the teachers and the

classroom it seemed to be a new experience each time. Since I worked at Safekey I had already

known most of the students. However, it was quite interesting to observe them in a different
 2 ​Willoughby Roster #: 28

environment and see how their behavior has changed. I was even fortunate enough to observe

two different classrooms. I observed a kindergarten classroom and a first grade classroom. I

really enjoyed how drastically different each classroom was. The kindergarten classroom was

more lively and had so much going on, including both the room decor and the atmosphere itself.

The first grade room was more simple and had a lot more structure. Since it was only the second

month of school the children were still adjusting to the more structured environment. Not once

did the teachers yell. Both of them had calm and collected energy. It was an amazing experience

to see the different teaching styles, and standards. I loved every second of my field observation.

It opened up my mind to new ideas for what kind of teacher I wanted to be.

There are five different teaching styles including, Essentialism, Perennialism,

Progressivism, Social Reconstruction, and Existentialism. Essentialism is more focused on the

important learning of our society through the core courses within the traditional academic

disciplines. Perennialism is similar to Essentialism because they both allow very little freedom

within the set curriculum. Next on the list is Progressivism. Progressivism organizes schools

around real life events. It is the teacher’s “job” to teach the kids to be more thoughtful and

meaningful. Social Reconstruction is next to last on the list of teaching styles. This teaching style

focuses more on reconstructing society into a newer and almost even better social order. Lastly is

Existentialism. This Specific teaching style focuses more on helping the students find the right

directions in their lives. After learning about each teaching style I became curious towards what

my teaching style might be. I took a quiz that was found in my textbook. To be blunt, I was not

very surprised at my results. I found out that my teaching style is Essentialism. This quiz allowed

me to search deeper within what kind of teacher I might want to be. I do not believe this will be
 3 ​Willoughby Roster #: 28

set in stone when I finally begin my teaching career, however I do believe that this is a very good

start.

I am a very traditional kind of individual. I like to follow and go by the book and stay

organized as much as possible. I want to be the kind of teacher that is a little bit of every

teaching style. I believe it will only help me in the long run. Not every child is the same,

meaning that not every reacting will be the same.If I stick with only one teaching style it may not

work out in my favor. I am not saying that I will cater to every single student, but everyone

learns differently. I want to be able to incorporate as many different styles and methods as I

possibly can. Everytime I think about becoming a teacher one day I get butterflies in my stomach

from how excited I am. I do not want to be the kind of teacher that is always stuck in the same

town and in the same state. I want to go out and teach the world. I am going to teach children all

over the world. I will go little by little, and then eventually make my way back to where I started.

I do not want to be confined to just one area. I have to share everything that I know with others,

and be able to share my experiences with my friend, family, colleagues, and many other

individuals. One day I will be the teacher that I have always dreamt of being. I will be

understanding and patient. I will be the hero in another child’s life. I will be everything that my

elementary teachers were to me. I want to be able to go back and let my middle school band

teacher know that he is the reason for me becoming a teacher. I want to be what he was to me as

well. I want to laugh and cry with these kids. If they need anything I want them to feel

comfortable enough with confiding in me. No matter what grade I end up teaching I will try my

best to be the inspiration that every child needs in their lives.

 4 ​Willoughby Roster #: 28

In conclusion, teaching is not a career path that someone chooses for the money.

Teaching is something that you feel in your soul. It is something that speaks to you. Never in my

life did I think that I would take wanting to teach seriously. Now that I am I will make sure I live

up to my own high expectations. I will be everything I see myself being. I will be the person that

everyone is proud of. I am a teacher.