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Alizeah Lugo

Professor Shkorupa

EDU 202

April 16, 2021

Philosophy of Education

Knowledge is one of the most important tools someone can have. Everyday we are

constantly applying knowledge to accomplish everyday tasks. Though, knowledge is not the only

important tool one possesses. Acquired skills such as problem solving, and critical thinking are

important as well. Though, the method and environment in which both the knowledge and

essential skills are learned in are vital to how well someone can apply them. I wish to foster a

positive and safe learning environment, where students can learn knowledge and skills they can

apply in everyday life. Though, in my classroom, instead of putting down students who may

learn the knowledge and skills I am teaching them, I will work with them, to the best of my

ability, to ensure that they are not feeling left out by the progress of their peers, nor like they are

a failure.

My primary goal is to become the teacher I wish I had during my low points as a student.

I have always been a C average student, earning the occasional D and F. Due to my poor track

record I was looked down upon, not by my peers, but by educators. It was one experience I had

with my middle school counselor that plays a large role as to why I have decided to pursue

teaching. This event occurred during the spring my eighth-grade year. My peers and I were

preparing to move on to high school, and us being in a magnet school, we were preparing to

apply for the high schools we wished to attend. It was third period, and the school counselor was

going to speak to us about the application process. He began speaking about the type of students
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these schools were looking for… as well as the type of students these schools were not looking

for. He began his example with a classmate who everyone knew was a good student, until he

stopped part of the way through. “No,” he said, “let us use Alizeah as an example instead, with

her D’s and F’s.” I was used as an example of not only what a bad student was, but a student

who was going to be unsuccessful. My school counselor was not a teacher, but this example

highlighted the experience I had with a few teachers. With the support of teachers who looked

past my GPA, I finally grew to become a confident student in my senior year of high school. I

want to become a teacher who looks past a student’s faults and does not determine a student’s

success off a letter grade. I want to become a teacher who instills confidence in their students. I

want my students to become critical thinkers who are excited to learn and create an environment

where they will want to come to class.

In five years, I hope to be teaching a U.S. History class, and perhaps a Government class

too. In my classroom I hope to create a positive and safe learning environment where students

can be comfortable sharing their thoughts with their peers. Students should not only be able to

share their thoughts, opinions, and ideas with each other, but refine those thoughts, opinions, and

ideas. It is an important skill for people to be able to bounce thoughts between one another,

correct those who may not have the facts right, or try to improve ideas suggested by our peers.

With this environment I hope to create, students will learn how to solve problems on their own

and be able to talk about real-world issues with maturity. After all, it is important that teachers

prepare students for the real world, and with subjects such as history and government, students

must learn how to be able to tackle complex issues in a professional manner.

In high school, I tried to pay attention to teaching styles I could use in a classroom of my

own. My personal favorite was a standard lecture with the assistance of a PowerPoint
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presentation. However, there are a few obstacles to tackle with this teaching style. The biggest

issue, I observed, was keeping students engaged in the lesson that could be up to forty minutes

long. To remedy this, I will try to start miniature class discussions or work in a small activity

during sections of my lectures. I will make use of media, such as videos, to ensure my class in

engaged in the lesson. Most importantly I will stress the idea of asking questions. I want students

to be comfortable enough to ask any questions related to the topic at hand to ensure that no

student falls behind because they are too scared to ask a “stupid” question. Another important

factor is how I conduct myself during lessons. I noticed that when a teacher is loud and moves

around the classroom, I stayed engaged with what they were saying. Passion plays an important

role in keeping a class engaged in a lesson. If I stay in one spot and speak in a monotone voice

throughout the lecture, I am bound to lull a few students to sleep. Though, if I remain not just

loud, but speak passionately about the lesson at hand, while moving around, using my body to

emphasize certain words, I am confident my students will remain engaged in the lesson.

Another method of teaching I want to utilize is student-lead discussions. Students will

talk about an assigned topic, giving out their thoughts, opinions, and ideas. Students will need to

research about the topic to provide fresh knowledge to the class. Finding credible sources, as

well as thinking deeper about a topic, allows students to become critical thinkers. Not only will

students go past surface level thinking, but they will apply their knowledge to real-world issues,

allowing them to work on problem-solving skills.

Overall, I want to help all my students refine important skills that are used in everyday

situations. Most importantly, I want to ensure that students who may not be performing well in

my class know that it is okay to reach out to me, their teacher, for help. I do not want them to

give up or feel that all hope is lost for success because they may have a D or an F. I want to work
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with my students and reassure them that even if they do not perform well in my class, that they

are just as capable and smart as everyone else. A D or F does not mean failure, it means they still

have a lot of learning to do. I understand how it feels to be put in a situation like that, and despite

the D’s and F’s I earned during school, I still became successful.