Educational Philosophy Statement 1

My Educational Philosophy

Cecilia S. Gonzalez

College of Southern Nevada

Educational Philosophy Statement 2

My Educational Philosophy

I want to be a teacher because I want to make a positive change in as many people’s lives

as possible, and I believe I can do that by teaching. I’ve always wanted to work with kids, but

now I know that I want to teach kids real things that they’ll actually use. Specifically, I want to

be a Health teacher because I want to teach teenagers the importance of their mental, emotional,

physical, and sexual health, and how they all overlap. I have always loved working with children

and have had a lot of experience working with kids of all ages, from 5 year olds to 12 year olds.

Even though I don’t plan on teaching younger kids they’re the reason that I want to be a teacher.

The way that kids look up to you and trust you to protect them and teach them is a huge

responsibility but also such a beautiful and wonderful thing that I want to do for my entire life.

It’s important for children to have someone like that in their lives and I want to be that person for

as many kids as possible by being a teacher.

However, when I first applied to CSN I wasn’t majoring in Secondary Educaton, I was

actually majoring in psychology. Although I majored in psychology for similar reasons of

wanting to help kids and teenagers, I soon realized that it wasn’t the right path for me. I wasn’t

passionate about it the way that I was passionate about teaching, and I don’t believe in pursuing a

career that I’m not head over heels in love with. Now, I can confidently say that I love teaching

and working with kids more than anything else and I can’t wait to keep pursuing my dream job

and learning about how to be the best teacher that I can be. My field observation assignment only

solidified that more. Being able to see a teacher get his students involved and enjoy class, even in

a virtual setting was really wonderful and inspired me to want to be a teacher even more.
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Although the situation isn’t ideal and we all rather be in person rather than meeting virtually,

making the best with what you’ve got is a big part of being a teacher, and having to do my

observation virtually just put that into perspective more. I am sure I’ll be a teacher that bends and

doesn’t break under pressure, I will adapt well in hard circumstances, like the one that we’re in

right now.

Coming from a unique background I also have many different perspectives that will

benefit me as a teacher. I’m a first-generation Mexican-American, Lesbian, Non-binary person

and I also recently got diagnosed with ADHD; although some people might see these things as

disadvantages I see them as assets. I have faced my fair share of adversities due to my

intersecting identities but I also have a lot of privileges and since I’ve experienced the world in

this unique way I hope I’ll be able to help understand and empathize with my students more. I’ve

been treated differently and disrespected due to these differences and I never want my students to

feel that way so I will make sure to always provide a safe environment for them. I also have had

certain privileges since I am a white Mexican-American person, in my everyday life when I’m

just walking down the street people most likely assume that I’m a white, straight, cisgender

woman which also protects me from recieving more discrimination. Because I’m aware of these

privileges I have, I want to make sure my students are aware of the privileges that they have and

how to use those to protect others who may not have those same privileges instead of using those

privileges to harm others.

My beliefs about education align with both Progressivism and Social Reconstruction.

Progressivism organizes the classroom in a way that’s centered around students’ interests,
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curiosities, and helping them gain real world experiences. Social Reconstruction focuses on

teaching students about the social inequities happening in the world and what they can do to help

fix and change the world for the better. I believe all children are unique and have different

strengths and weaknesses, so I believe students should take charge of their own education and be

able to learn about things that interest them. This is the best way to encourage students to

actually want to learn, instead of making school feel like a chore. Students need to be able to live

in the real world and reflect on what they observe, not just read from a textbook and regurgitate

information they memorized for a test. I’m not saying students won’t ever learn anything useful

from a book because there are lots of amazing books with amazing lessons, but those lessons

should be taught in ways that show students the way they could apply them in their everyday

lives, not just in school. Teaching should always be about the students and what we can do to

help them grow into themselves, and it should never be focused on the teacher.

I also believe it’s important to teach students about the unequal and unfair treatment that

people deal with in the real world and what they can do to make a positive change. There are still

horrible things happening all around the world every day and if we ignore those inequalities and

disadvantages that people face we aren’t teaching students how to survive and thrive. If we want

our world to get better it starts with the youth, planting the seed that not only tells them, but

shows them that they can make a real change. Personally, I have always identified as a feminist

and I believe that the fight for equal rights in every regard is worth fighting for. I’ve seen and

read about all of the horrible things going on in the world from police brutality, to anti-lgbtq+

legislation, to abortion bans, to kids in cages, to mass shootings, and it all simultaneously
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infuriates me and breaks my heart. After seeing so many people ignore these injustices and turn a

blind eye I want to make sure that kids are appropriately learning about the reality of the world

and how important it is to do our part in making it a better place.

As a teacher, I want to provide a stimulating environment for my students where they feel

like they are able to ask questions. My students will be learning about the importance of their

physical, emotional, and sexual health and the growth that is going to happen in all of these areas

as their lives go on. Providing that safe and welcoming classroom space is essential, especially in

a health class, so that my students can reach their full potential and learn without any fear of

judgment. My role as a teacher is not only to provide them with the information they need, but

also facilitate the conversations that they want to have, get them to ask questions, and take

charge of their own education. I also want to ensure that my students always feel comfortable

expressing themselves and being authentic to who they are. No one can be the best version of

themselves when they feel like they’re hiding, so I will not only be “okay” with each student’s

differences, I will celebrate them and encourage them to be uniquely themselves. There is also a

variety of learning styles that different students respond too so I will incorporate all of them in

different ways, instead of just focussing on one, so that students will be able to figure out what

works best for them.

Of course, I will also implement assessments to make sure they are grasping the content

that I’m teaching and are able to analyze it and apply it to their everyday lives. I’m sure I’ll do

some quizzes and tests, but I want to give my students choices in the ways that I grade them too.

I will incorporate lots of projects, some group assignments, and some solo ones, but they will
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always have a choice in what they do. For example, they can pick between a PowerPoint

presentation, making a video, a 3D diagram, the list goes on and on. I will also always be open to

hearing ideas from students about what assignments or projects they want to do, although I know

realistically I won’t always be able to incorporate all of their ideas I will try my best to include as

many as I can.

In order to keep moving forward in this career, I still have a few things I need to do. First,

I want to pass the PRAXIS exams with an above-average score. Passing the PRAXIS exams is

mandatory to be able to continue with my education as a future teacher so I want to make sure I

get a good score. Once I pass the PRAXIS, I want to transfer to UNLV and graduate with a

Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education. I also hope to be able to accomplish some student

teaching while obtaining this degree so that I can accumulate more experience and be as ready as

I can be for when I become a teacher. I’m also intrigued by alternative teaching education

programs such as Teach for America, and I believe once I graduate I will look for work in a TFA

program. I want to work in under-resourced neighborhoods and school districts and stay there to

hopefully help get better resources and experiences for the students. Often times teachers will

start there and then leave to go work in schools with better resources, but if we keep that cycle

going those schools are never going to get better. I want to do my best to help those students

achieve their highest potential and help the schools grow into better more capable institutions in

any way that I can.

Ultimately, I want to be a teacher to help improve students’ lives. Even if just one thing I

teach them will help them in the long run, then I will know I did my job right. I want my students
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to know they can always trust me and come to me with whatever they need. They can ask me any

questions, be themselves, and I will never judge. I will make it my goal every day to provide a

safe space for every single student and do whatever I can to help them reach their full potential.