Running head: My Personal Philosophy of Education

My Personal Philosophy of Education

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My Personal Philosophy of Education
Throughout this summer in my foundations of education class I have been able to learn
about the history of education, how a school system works, and different schooling options. I
have been able to incorporate what I have learn and combine it with my own beliefs and
experiences to create my own personal philosophy of education. My own personal philosophy of
education is that education should be focused around the student and education should create a
change in that student. My personal philosophy affects how I view the role of a school in society,
how I view the student, how I view the role of a teacher, and how I plan to design my
curriculum.
I believe that a schools role in society should be to make a student well rounded, make
each students strengths stronger, and the their weaknesses strength so that each individual
student can have confidence to create their own path and do great in the world wether that be on
a small or large scale. In my foundation of education class I learned how the role of a school
changes to fit the needs of society. In preliterate society the educational goal was to teach
survival skills, during the 1600 B.C to 300 B.C Athens used schools to create students who were
well rounded and who would uphold civic responsibility (Ornstein, Levine, and Gerry, 60). This
made me think of what should a child in our society be learning. I believe that in our society
people take on the idea of every man for himself. However, since I am a religious person I
believe it important for everyone to love their neighbor. I believe it is a schools job to prepare a
child to stand on their own but they should also teach them to use their talents to help others. In
my classroom I plan on doing this by taking the time to recognize each individual childs talent
and compliment them on it so that they will be encouraged to continue to cultivate it. However, I
also plan to challenge each of my students and be patient so that I can make their weaknesses

MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

strengths. I know this can make a child feel uncomfortable. However, I feel that if every child is
working on making themselves stronger than they can gain support from one another and feel
that they are in a safe environment. I am even willing to stay after class and work with children
that are struggling. I also plan to e-mail parents and keep them involved so that if they parents
are able and willing a childs education can continue at home.
In order to create a change in students I have to be an effective teacher. One of my
favorite quotes about teaching is Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me
and I learn (Wisdom Word). I think what it means for a child to learn is to change. I believe a
change can be seen when I child becomes more focused, or excited about learning something.
The information doesnt just become a fact that is stored somewhere in their mind but rather
something they use to motivate, draw upon, and use as a building block to gather more
information and apply it.
The best way I can allow my kids to learn is to have them be involved in their learning
process. I want to include hands on activities where instead of reading about the effects in a book
they can see the effects. This way they can learn to problem solve, work in groups, and
communicate. The problem is that in a classroom it will be hard for a single teacher to take time
to help every single student in a project. However, one thing I learned in my foundation of
education class from a teacher that came into talk to the class is that a teachers greatest resource
is other students. A student who is strong in one area can such as math can help another student
who struggles in math. This helps accomplish my goal of having my students learn how to help
and be there for their fellow man. I remember in when I was in elementary school my teacher
had us build model rockets and all the kids were put into groups and we helped each other build
them. When we went on a field trip and launched the rockets we learned about kinetic and

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potential energy. This experience taught me to ask for help from my fellow students and how
what I was learning could be applied to a real life situation.
I also want to be a caring teacher. I believe that by being a caring teacher I will be
someone that my students will be comfortable approaching, and I will be able to connect to them
better. I want to be someone that my children will want to work hard for and change for. I also
think that by being a caring teacher I will create an environment where my kids will feel safe and
discussions between students and between students and teacher can take place. I know there will
be days that I will be frustrated and that I may have low patience but if I remember that these
kids are all sons and daughters of God I will remember how great of a blessing and responsibility
it is to teach these kids. It is up to me to maintain a positive attitude so that my students can
absorb it and learn to love school and become better people.
Herbert was an early educational pioneer you said that one of the purposes of education
should be to develop a moral character (Ornstein, Levine, and Gerry, pg 106) . I agree with this
statement. It is in school where kids can make mistakes and learn with no huge punishment. In
the real world stealing, fighting, etc. could lead to jail time. In elementary school I remember
reading short stories that dealt with moral issues. One example was about Cindy falling while
riding her bike and Joe coming and helping her. There were always stories with morals and as a
student we would have to say what we learned or what we would do in a situation. I think this is
important because teaching morals creates a change in a student and they become a better person
that can have a positive effect on the environment around them.
While my role of a teacher is important I also believe the role of a student is just as
important. A student should not be looked down upon or talked down to but rather treated as
someone who as a lot to offer with an unlimited potential. Each student is different and I must be

MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

flexible and able to change my plans in order to best suite their needs. In return the kids must try
hard and be willing to ask for help when they need it.
Piaget taught that in order to learn one must explore and experiment (Ornstein, Levine,
and Gerry, pg 120) . A child should not fear failing. I want them to understand that when they
make a mistake it is a learning experience. I want them to let their mistakes and their success
sink in and let them grow as a person. Making a mistake does not mean that something is broken
and it will have to be glued back together into something less perfect. Instead it means means
that one os given the opportunity to fix it and make it into something better then what it was
before. Once when working on making a diorama for a class I spilled glue all over it. I came to
my teacher crying and she said, Its okay you have plenty of time and now you can make a better
one then before. Because of that experience I now view mistakes as opportunities to learn and
create something better than I originally planned.
My personal philosophy of education will also affect how I run my classroom. I want to
challenge my kids, have an open environment, and have lots of hands on and active activities. I
want my students to have a say in what goes on in their classroom. I want them to help decorate
it and I want them to help come up with the class rules. I remember on the first day of school my
teacher had us make name cards and make decoration for the classroom. This instantly made the
classroom a comfortable place for me rather than a foreign environment.
I want my students to feel like they are taking an active role in their education so that
they will be more willing to work hard, and will be able to value and internalize the lessons that
they learn in school. By having the students participate in hands on activities I feel that they will
remember what they learn better and they will feel special because someone, a teacher, was
taking the time to make sure they were learning while having fun. In elementary school I

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remember learning about the ecosystem and our teacher had taken two clear plastic bottles and
had filled one with water and had put little fish in them with plant life, and in the other bottle had
put in dirt with worms, grass, and beetles. We would learn about ecosystems and then we had to
keep a journal about what we saw and relate it to what we had learned. This made my learning
experience so much more memorable, and it made me see what I was learning was relevant. It
made me want to know more and see more.
In the end, the foundations of educations class has helped me learn some new things and
caused me to reflect upon my own experiences in life to help my shape my personal educational
philosophy that education should focus on the kids and create a change within them. I do not
want my personal philosophy of education to ever stay the same. I want it to grow and improve
as I learn more and become a better person. I believe as long as I am doing that I can have an
influence for good in my classroom and in the school system as a whole.

MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

References
Ornstein, Allan, Daniel Levine, and Gutek Gerry. Foundations of Education. 11. Mason:
Cenagage Learning, 2011. Print.
"Wisdom Word." Wisdom Word. N.p., 5 Aug 2012. Web. 6 Aug 2012.
<http://www.wisdomword.info/benjamin-franklin/>.