Educational Philosophy 1

Educational Philosophy

Kylie Pratt

EDU 202: Connie Christensen

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I always knew I wanted to be an educator. When I was in elementary school myself, I

wanted to teach third or fifth grade. As I got older in middle school, I wanted to teach eighth

grade and in high school I changed my mind. I knew that I had always wanted to become a

teacher however I thought that I needed a fresh idea. I thought I was too tied down to teaching. I

needed to broaden my future and find something new. For those four years I explored going into

many different professions including healthcare and engineering. By the end of my high school

era, I had found many new hobbies but more than ever I knew I needed to teach. My past

teachers have been one of my biggest inspirations. They showed me the type of teacher I want to

become in terms of instruction and student relationships. In some cases, they showed me the type

of teacher I never want to be such as their discouraging attitudes towards students and lack of

enthusiasm. I am choosing this profession because I knew I wanted to make an impact and help

kids through some of the hardest times of their lives.

As soon as I could, I got the credentials needed and began teaching in some form. I

started with being a nanny and from there moved on to be a pre-school teacher. I taught Pre-

Kindergarten for two years, the lessons I learned within early education are countless. I learned

how to engage with the kids, I learned that I genuinely enjoyed being around them and helping

them learn. My next source for gaining knowledge about education was becoming a Special

Education Paraprofessional. I worked with a mentor teacher and students ranging from the fifth

to the eighth grade. Working with students every day, learning new instruction or behavioral

strategies, and having great mentors made me recommit to teaching in a whole new way. The

skills I learned in that position are ones I will use throughout my career.

Through my field observation I have found a new mentor. My assigned teacher and I had

some great discussions about the reputation of teachers and the education system. We discussed
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topics that I had considered but was then able to get an inside view on. I was able to watch the

teacher interact with students in a new light. She told me how and why her instruction varies in

different classes. I learned that administration support is so important. As I observed the teaching

environment, I understood how important it is to build relationship with students. I was able to

see the teacher interact with enthusiastic students and students that did not want to work. She

spoke to all of them with respect and encouragement and usually got through to them. I now

have a better understanding of how to speak to the students as well as encourage and enforce

classroom expectations.

My educational philosophy is very student centered. I identify mostly with the ideals of

Progressivism with an addition of Essentialism components. The Essentialism concepts being

that I believe that there are core values and concepts that students should learn in their time in

school that will prepare them for society. I believe it is the teacher’s job along with parents to

prepare students for life after their high school years, either it be entering the workforce or

moving on to higher education. The most effective way to achieve understanding of those

concepts are through a new Progressive approach to teaching. This means allowing students to

work collaboratively and deal with concepts they are interested in helps foster their critical

thinking skills. Collaborative work also encourages creative thinking and creates unique paths of

problem solving. I understand that students will not fit into a cookie cutter system, students will

have individual learning needs that will need to be addressed.

Today’s teens are some of the most aware in this nation’s history, they work to fight

injustices and to create safe places for everyone. As an African American woman, I recognize

the men and women through time that marched and fought for me to have the right to pursue my

dreams. History has not been kind to people of color and often not to women as well. Knowing
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and understanding the history of the separate and unequal treatment of people of color in schools

is enraging and disheartening. Schools today are still working to bring equal supplies and quality

instruction to areas that have been disadvantaged. Today I think of children as hope for the

future. They will bring imagination and innovation; with the right resources they are capable of

endless possibilities. I want to give all student in my classroom access to the tools and support

they need to be successful.

I will use a variety of strategies to encourage learning. One of these will be having a more

relaxed grading system and late work policy. An instructional strategy I would implement would

be letting the students redo all assignments if they chose. This means, for example, if a student

does poorly on an essay, they know they have the opportunity to rewrite it and get a better grade.

In my classroom all students will be treated equally and have a safe space regardless of

disability, race, class, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. I want to provide an inclusive

environment to teach students how to self-advocate so that they might be better prepared for

hardships they might face outside of my classroom. When assessments are needed, I will utilize

projects, portfolios, and presentations. I will be looking for the student’s ability to apply the

content they have learned from a summative perspective.

I think the qualities I need to remember moving forward in this career is compassion,

self-discipline, and open mindedness. I believe a great teacher is compassionate towards students

and had an open mind when confronting new challenges. In many careers self-discipline is

important, and education is no exception. I will need to be focused on what my goals are and

once I begin teaching, I will need to be prepared to out in the work required to be my best for my

students. There are a few things I plan to do in the future to help achieve my career goals. I plan

to continue substitute teaching to gain exposure and experience in different grade levels and
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subjects. I will volunteer with a program at my old high school that prepares students for the

workforce in STEM related industries. With this volunteer position I will be able to work with

teachers to help students navigate real world problems. I will be able to network with

administrators and receive advice and mentorship from veteran educators. This volunteer work

will help me prepare to merge interest in STEM and English fields in my future classroom.