Educational Philosophy

Please note: This page is a constant work in progress. I am still unsure if my educational 

philosophy will ever be truly finished. As I grow as an educator, so will this philosophy. 

My educational philosophy has been shaped by my own educational experiences, both negative and positive. I have been able to explore and refine my own educational philosophy throughout several classes during college. Having spent the last 18 years of my life as a student, it is my goal to learn from my personal experiences, and let them shape my abilities as a teacher. This is the purpose behind my educational philosophy. 

I believe that every child has the ability to learn regardless of their socioeconomic status, home situation, culture, ethnicity, previous knowledge, or desire to learn. As a teacher it is my job to help each child discover their potential to learn. However, I believe that each child learns in their own individual manner. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a theory that I subscribe to, and I believe fits into my educational philosophy. Because of this I feel that each child’s ability to learn will be different than that of their peers. Some children will learn at a slower pace than their peers, others at a faster pace, some children might not speak English as their first language, and some children in my classes may struggle with learning disabilities. This means that I believe each child develops at their own pace, and my educational philosophy is to embrace these differences and integrate them into my classroom. 

In addition to integrating these differences into my classroom, it is my educational philosophy that I will have many roles as a teacher. I believe that some of my roles as a teacher will be that of a referee, a nurse, a caregiver, a mediator, a judge, a clown, a chef, an artist and a scientist. My educational philosophy is that I need to be able to embrace all of these roles in order to be a successful and caring teacher. However, I believe that the main role of a teacher is to be a skilled manager who can manage the learning of many students at once.  I value being able to embrace each individual child’s learning abilities, and being able to successfully manage the learning of each student. 

While my educational philosophy is to embrace the abilities of each student, I also believe that each student should be taught the same ideas, basic knowledge and concepts. My philosophy is that a child should be taught basic academic skills, morals, and basic rules of society. I value basic academic skills. My students should be able to read, write, complete math problems, complete science experiments and be in the beginning stages of critical thinking. 

The type of critical thinking that I want my students to develop is the kind of thinking that will open their eyes to they world that they live in. I hope to help make my students realize that if they see something in the world that they believe is wrong or unjust, then they need to question it and see if there is a way for them to fix it. This could include writing letters to members of Congress or the local government, or participating in community service to help others. This is the type of critical thinking that I believe students of this age should begin to develop. Another aspect that I have adopted into my own educational philosophy is not holding back the truth from my students. I want to encourage my students to uncover the truths about the world around them in addition to past events. This is something that I believe every teacher should encourage their students to do. If I expect my students to become positive, productive members of society then I must urge my students to question the world around them. In addition, my students should also be able to be expressive, imaginative and active. These are the basic academic skills that I hope to accomplish by following my educational pedagogy.

It is also a goal of my educational philosophy to create a multicultural classroom. I am committed to creating a classroom environment where the culture and ethnicity of each student is respected and embraced. I believe that each student should be able to share their own unique experiences, and that their peers can learn from these shared experiences. It is also a goal of mine to incorporate lessons on cultures and ethnicities that are not represented by students in my classroom. I want my students to be well educated about other people and cultures in the world; I want to help create global citizens. It is my belief that by creating a respectful multicultural environment in my classroom, that I will help my students build successful global and domestic relationships for the rest of their lives. 

Another piece of my educational philosophy is my belief about knowledge. I believe that knowledge must be well-rounded, just as a student should be. Knowledge should include the subject matter that is taught in schools. After all, we send our children to school so they can learn. Knowledge is also being able to understand matters and big ideas that allow us to function in the world around us. These matters include culture, equality, working with others, and other key concepts that are necessary to be successful in the surrounding world. My belief is that knowledge can be gained through many different ways.  By lecturing to my students, but also giving them activities that allow them to explore and engage in their environment, I hope that they gain all the types of knowledge they will need in order to be successful in their world. 

It is also important to determine what I believe is worth knowing. As I explained above, I feel that knowledge encompasses more that just basic reading and writing skills. My educational philosophy is that academic skills such as reading, writing, mathematics, and knowledge gained in school are very important. I believe that what is taught in school is worth knowing. I also believe that much knowledge can be gained from life experiences outside of school as well, and that this knowledge is worth knowing as well. I believe that knowledge I explained can help create a well-rounded person. Academic knowledge as well as life experiences with family, friends, teachers, and peers will help create a well-rounded person. The knowledge that I believe is worth knowing, is knowledge that I believe will create a well-rounded person. 

By the time children are in the upper grades of elementary school most children know how to stand quietly in line, and share toys. But the morals I would like to instill into my future students include treating others with kindness, becoming involved in their community, learning to problem solve in a peaceful manner, and any other moral issues that the class discovers. My educational philosophy is to focus on helping each child develop into a well-rounded person. I believe that a teacher should carry many roles, but should focus mainly on fostering and managing the learning of each student in their classroom. This is the educational philosophy that I value and plan to incorporate into my future classroom. 

Last updated August 2011