Natalie Phillips

EDUG 509

Dr. Jagerson

Philosophy of Education

While I still feel like a newborn in terms of my teaching career, I can say that throughout

my undergrad and the beginning of my credential education, I have encountered a multitude of

strong teaching philosophies that now serve as the foundation for my own philosophy of

education. From a diagnostic standpoint, the majority of my beliefs align with the Progressivism

philosophy, however I feel that a true account of my philosophy is comprised of components

from each of the five major philosophies of education.

When it comes to the reason why we teach, I believe there is a much stronger internal and

often times spiritual drive that motivates teachers outside of the major philosophies. Teachers are

world changers that see a need in the lives of children. No matter their ideals or philosophies,

they are there to educate the next generation and provide a source of love and encouragement in

these students lives. In terms of educational purposes, I believe that Essentialism and

Progressivism state it best in that we teach to prepare students for the real world by encouraging

them to be lifelong learners that have the knowledge and skills to be productive contributing

members of society. The reason why these philosophies stand out is because they agree that

school is not merely about the curriculum, but that there is a long-term goal of helping to develop

the minds of students for when they leave the classroom.

In terms of content, structure and standards are important because there is a set of skills

and knowledge that the students must know in order to be educated and productive individuals in

our society. This belief aligns very closely to Essentialism as well as a little Perennialism. Where
I think the other philosophies fall short is that they fail to realize and account for the fact that

history and other foundational subjects will never go away. If we as teachers take on the

responsibility of preparing our students for the real world, then we also must admit that the core

content is necessary knowledge.

I am positive that as I journey into teaching and even many years into teaching, I will

continuously be changing my view on how something should be taught. In part, this is due to the

fact that no two students are the same, the magical part of this role as a teacher is taking twenty

completely different minds and somehow getting them to all understand a plethora of content at

the same time. It is because of this that I think most teachers would agree that all of the major

philosophies got part of it right. There are times when teachers need to directly teach or lecture

and there are times when posing questions, leading discussions, and providing resources is more

appropriate and within the same day the teacher could also have students experiment, explore on

their own, and work in groups. Rather than argue over which strategy is most effective, a

productive teacher will see the value in each and utilize them when needed to meet the needs of

her students.

Once again, I find the values in the differing views of the major philosophies on the role

of the teacher and can use those ideas to form my own cohesive belief. The role of the teacher is

a guide, this role may take on different forms, at time facilitating or instructing, but at its core is

to guide students on their journey to mastery of subjects. Their focus is on the student and how to

best prepare them for the real world, which means imparting on them the necessary knowledge

and skills as well as facilitating their learning needs in the classroom. Within this role there are

opportunities to build their character, attitude, and worldview. Personally, I believe the teacher

also has the responsibility of instilling Carol Dweck’s outstanding foundation of growth mindset.
Content is just as important as learning strategies, but before those can ever be achieved teachers

must create the confidence and mentality in their students that they are great learners and

unstoppable forces.

The role of the student is to take an active part in their learning. They are responsible for

showing up to class mentally and with a growth mindset. They must understand that their attitude

plays a large role in their ability to learn and do their best to approach each subject with a

curiosity and appreciation. One of my favor quotes that a teacher instilled in me was that “You

get out of it what you put into it.” A student’s role is to invest in their education and learn to see

the value in their development.