Philosophy of Education

Written by: Luke Kremer

Having respect in all forms is the main theme of my educational philosophy. The main
parts of my educational philosophy were reconstructionism, behaviorism, and existentialism. The
parts I have added are progressivism and perennialism. I know these are all individual
philosophies but I take from each of them in my own way.
Reconstructionism and existentialism were always philosophies that were really
important to me. Developing students who can make educated decisions on what would be best
for society. Everyone is always thinking of themselves but I want students who view the bigger
picture and are more conscious of how they, even as individuals, can make an impact. I know
this can be extremely difficult and is a huge task to take on, especially during student teaching,
but I will have a lot of years to improve upon my approach. I have concluded that it all comes
down to respect. If the students respect you they will listen to you. And if they respect
themselves and others equally, they will make individual decisions that can make an impact.
Whether this be at home, in the classroom, or in everyday situations.
Behaviorism goes with reconstructionism and existentialism as well. If the
students respect themselves and respect others it will help them handle behaviors. And if they
can handle their behaviors they will also have respect for themselves and others. It goes hand and
hand. Managing behaviors in a class can be one of the most difficult things to master and you are
always learning as no one kid is the same. Using my personal experiences has helped me to
realize that to manage behaviors you have to have patience and respect towards yourself and
your students. Why should I let this student's behavior go unchecked or unrewarded? If I respect
myself and my students I should modify or reward their behavior. If their behavior is bad I
shouldn’t just put up with it and say it’s fine. Find out why they are doing this, read the subtitles,
and modify their behavior. This is simply having respect for yourself and your student. One day
it just clicked. To respect myself and to respect the students enough to modify behaviors when
they are being difficult, but also to reward them when they are being good.
I incorporate other philosophies such as perennialism and progressivism as utilizing any
book to its full potential is a big part of any classroom. Learning while doing is also such a major
part to any classroom as tying what you're learning to the real world helps students remember the
content, along with becoming more educated citizens. All the philosophies I have listed
throughout have come together to make my overall teaching philosophy, and have made me a
more excited and driven teacher.