Running head: ARTIFACT 3 1

Philosophy of Education

EDU 201 Spring 2022

Sonaya Fernandes

January 28, 2022

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Philosophy of Education

I chose to become a teacher because this field of study challenges my interest and skills. I

admire the mental and emotional strength these teachers and educators use for their career. I am

very interested by the responsibility to educate young, influential minds and watch them develop

socially, emotionally and mentally. My experience of becoming a teacher comes from my social

habits. I enjoy learning new information and sharing them with others. I had this passion since

grade school. I was always explaining what I learned from school and teaching them to my

younger siblings so they can be prepared when they start school. The steps I have taken on the

path of becoming a teacher is having an early exposure to a teaching environment. I did Student

Aid for a semester and explored the background work of a 5th grade class. I help with online of

tutoring and helping younger students with their homework. I am also a part-time Teacher’s Aid

at an elementary school. I have taken many steps in volunteering to help others academically.

The observations were also a great learning experience. I observed a 4th grade teacher, who was

also the grade level lead. I analyzed her delivery of the lesson, how she manages the class as well

how she plans her instructions. Watching and interviewing someone with over 30 years of

experience had taught me a lot and helped me reflect on what type of teacher I want to be.

My philosophy for teaching is Social Reconstructionism. I believe this philosophy

resonates best with my goal as a teacher. A teacher’s purpose is to educate and prepare students

for the future. The efficient way to prepare them is to teach about what’s happening today in

society. The curriculum should be relevant and have meaning to each lesson. It also makes

learning more engaging to the students because it helps build a connection to their work. The

psychological orientation I also relate to is the Humanistic style of teaching. Humanistic

psychology focuses on the personal freedom, responsibility and deciding their own choices. I
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believe this orientation is what grows a student to become independent. Teaching students that

they can make their own choices, allows them to learn through trial and error. If a bad decision

was made by the student, they will experience the consequences. While students are

independently learning form their mistakes, a teacher will only need to provide guidance and

support for their students. This style of teaching benefits both the students and teachers. Students

will learn how to grow and find themselves independently and teachers won’t need to mentally

strain themselves to focus on over 20 students.

Throughout the historical reformations of schools since 1980’s to now, the challenges of

diversity and variety of students is continuing to grow. Many students come from different

background and cultures. With that, each student can bring a challenge. Its important for teachers

to know how to adjust and find a solution to help through or around these challenges.

With the variety of students, a classroom will also hold a variety of thinkers. There are

many different of different styles of learning, and its important as a student to find what works

best. As a teacher, my instructions should have a variety of different strategies and styles for

students to learn and try. Presenting these varieties in a classroom can affect the students

independent growth of self-discovery and engagement. The assignments and instructions I give

to my students should challenge them to think differently every day. Eventually, students will

understand which way of thinking works best for them, supporting them to discover their style of

learning. This can also help students have engagement with their work, making sure the lessons

do not feel repetitive and lose interest from the students.

The characteristics and skills you need to be a teacher is empathy and flexibility. In

general, I believe teaching challenges social skills between both the educator and the student.

Teachers need to be aware of every action, from their tone, movement and the choices that were
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made. Having empathy for students or putting in thought about our students is what creates an

effective learning environment for everyone. It even helps build an interpersonal relationship

with students. Flexibility is a skill that teachers should also have to be an effective teacher.

Learning how to adjust quickly or on the spot is very important for this profession. Teachers will

always encounter many obstacles, challenges and inconveniences. However, when a teacher is

always on their feet and ready for anything, class can still be and feel efficient for the students.