My Philosophy of Teaching
The decision to become a teacher was one that I made when I was in the ninth grade. When I entered high school I worked at a summer camp every year with disadvantaged children. The children ages ranged from six years old to sixteen years old. The feeling that I received when I saw that I could make a difference in their lives was so rewarding that I knew I wanted to become a teacher. I grew up as the youngest of six children, finishing high school was very important to my brothers and sisters, but finishing college was never really stressed to them by my mother. Three of my siblings
went to college but they never completed college. For some reason my mom put more pressure on me than she did my siblings and said that I have no choice but to graduate from college. I sat out of school for several years in order to raise my son and my mom continued to tell me everyday that I needed to re enroll and complete my teaching degree.
I feel that as minority it is very important for me to complete my teaching degree, there is a small percentage of minority teachers in the state of West Virginia. I feel that I will be a role model for children of my nationality and for all nationalities, by making a difference in their lives and showing them on a daily basis how important a good education is for all, and especially for minorities. From interacting with children and people in general, I know that most people learn easier from hands on interaction. When I become a teacher most of my lessons will deal with hands on learning. When you are doing something, it is easier to remember and it makes learning a lot more fun. I will also make sure that my classroom is very relaxed and stress free, I have been in school for many years and I know from experience that it is harder for children to learn when the teacher is mean and there is always tension in the classroom, this prevents students from asking questions, and asking for help, which means that it prevents them from learning.
I definitely have the same beliefs as the philosopher Rousseau “Man is essentially good, a “noble savage” when in the “state of nature”, and that good people are made unhappy and corrupted by their experiences in society.
I cannot even begin to explain how it varies between how my mom and her seven siblings were all taught and raised. My older sister Tasha was usually the reason most of the rules I have today, were put in place. She was kind of a rebel child. Brittany followed in her footsteps. I threw my parents for a loop when I graduated not only from Utica High School, but from Career Technical Education Center of Licking County with honors and passing my registry exam becoming a Registered Medical Assistant. I really surprised them when I decided to go to college. I was their first child to attend college. My mother was extremely proud of me and even cried because she was so blessed to be able to afford to send me through college. Growing up, my mother was not given the opportunity to go to college due to financial
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a philosopher and composer who lived in 18th century Geneva, and was famous for his belief in the goodness of human nature. Rousseau proposed that humans are innately good, and that all corruption is a result of human society. Without rules, he believed, the “savage man” would still have compassion, and not wish to kill anything unless entirely necessary. (Jones, voices.yahoo.com) Rousseau’s positive outlook on human nature is believed to have stemmed from the cultural explosion that happened during the Enlightenment, which occurred during his lifetime.
I think human nature is mostly good. Man was made equal in nature. Humans are peaceful. Man is good until power and and materialistic ideals are introduced. Man is intelligent until they no longer think for themselves, and let the state do their thinking for them. According to Thomas Hobbes in the Leviathan when two men want the same thing but only one can have it, is when conflict arises and they become enemies. Man becomes corrupt when they gain power and means of acting on the power. In nature man is equal and free. Man can go about his business without depending on anyone or having anyone interfere. John Locke believes humans had the perfect freedom and equality in nature. No man has any more power than any other.
Others, such as Mencius (289 B.C) argued that man is inherently good but that society corrupts him and challenges him to become bad. A very well known French philosopher expressed much interest to this question; Jean Jacques Rousseau was a firm believer that “man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains” (Rousseau, Dunn and May, 2002) which is understood as man is born good but is corrupted by his surroundings, which in a way relates very much to the ideas of Confucianism. Indeed, Rousseau advocated for man to return to his original state, without a society that tries to corrupt him and make of him a 'bad' person, an immoral being. In the words “human is good by nature”, one would indeed think of it rather directly, as Rousseau argued that man was best when at peace with nature, with his surroundings and not in society, but other philosophers such as Voltaire considered his ideas as too regressive, which was the case of Voltaire for example, who said after reading Rousseau's The social contract, “One longs, in reading your book, to walk on all fours. But as I have lost that habit for more than sixty years, I feel unhappily the impossibility of resuming it.”
Are human beings born to be good? Or are we naturally born to be evil? A person’s nature or essence is a trait that is inherent and lasting in an individual. To be a good person is someone who thinks of others before themselves, shows kindness to one another, and makes good choices in life that can lead to a path of becoming a good moral person. To be a bad person rebels against something or someone thinking only of them and not caring about the consequences of their actions. Rousseau assumed, “that man is good by nature (as it is bequeathed to him), but good in a negative way: that is, he is not evil of his own accord and on purpose, but only in danger of being contaminated and corrupted by evil or inept guides and examples (Immanuel Kant 123).” In other words, the human is exposed to the depraved society by incompetent guardians or influences that is not of one’s free will in the view of the fact that it is passed on. My position is humans are not by nature evil. Instead, they are good but influenced by the environment and societies to act in evil ways to either harm others or themself.
My goals as a teacher are to help students communicate effectively and foster a desire to learn. I believe these two characteristics are important for students to have because despite what problems they encounter or what situation they are in, the ability to communicate effectively will help them in working with others and the desire to learn will motivate them to make positive changes in their life. As a teacher, I want my students to become interested in learning, both in school and in their personal lives. With these two goals in mind, my role as a teacher is to help them acquire these skills and values. However, effective communication is one of the hardest tasks for teachers because we all communicate in different ways and through different means. This is why teachers also need the desire to learn because it will motivate them to learn more useful ways of communicating and connecting with the students. To help students attain these goals, a teacher who leads by example can demonstrate to students how to communicate to others. In addition, if teachers are excited about what they teach, they will create a better learning environment that will motivate the students to learn. My philosophy of teaching consists of these two traits because after they leave my class, I want them to continue their education with the desire to learn more and to communicate this desire and the skills they have obtained with others.
Becoming a teacher was not something I always knew I wanted. As I approached an age where I really started considering what I would like to do for a career I only knew that I did not want to work in an office behind a desk all day. I wanted a job that would be interactive, challenging and exciting. I also knew I wanted a job that would be important and would somehow contribute to the world in an important way. I thought being a teacher; particularly a teacher in the primary levels would fulfill those hopes and goals assuming I dedicate myself to becoming an effective teacher who has a positive influence on the lives of my students.
To begin out of the countless professions one has to chose from in the world today I have chosen to become a teacher. I have chosen to become a teacher because I myself am a product of some whom I consider to be the best teachers in the world. As a child in North Carolina I was inspired by a wonderful woman named Mrs. Hollyfield. Mrs. Hollyfield taught me that no star was too far out of reach, if I put my mind to accomplishing my goal I could make it. Mrs. Hollyfield inspired me to be the best I could be at anything I wanted to be. As I have grown I have had other important teachers, some whom I am surrounded by daily whom inspire me to set out to accomplish my dreams. These wonderful inspiring people in my life have led me to the decision of becoming a teacher.
When thinking of a philosophy of teaching, four major issues need to be considered. Those issues are one’s views on education, the role of the teacher, teaching and learning, and on the children. This is something that someone entering the teaching profession needs to give serious thought to and realize the importance that this will hold in the future. The following essay will express my philosophy of teaching.
My teaching philosophy has been strongly influenced by my field experience in the primary grades. It may be necessary to adjust some of these beliefs to fit the needs of the classroom in certain situations, especially if I were teaching one of the intermediate grades. There are five general philosophies that I believe are essential in creating an effective learning environment as an educator: setting clear expectations for students and creating a respectful environment, acting as a facilitator in the classroom, creating relationships with students and their caregivers, and using positive reinforcement. Though there are a plethora of responsibilities that educators have in the classroom, I believe that these five are the most imperative to being successful in teaching in an elementary classroom.
As we reminisce and reflect back either on our childhood or academic career, we tend to have that one teacher who was memorable to us in some way - for their sense of humor, their stellar personality, or perhaps having that charisma and charm no other teacher had to make a difficult subject and it 's concepts fun to learn. While knowledge is power, I firmly believe that it is rather the exchange and distribution of knowledge that is power. When one can educate the masses there is no doubt that together we can accomplish great things. Becoming a teacher would mean the opportunity to be able to witness the shaping and molding of the minds of the future generations and the satisfaction knowing that you have helped your students set themselves onto the right path and provide guidance towards the creation of a better tomorrow. Choosing to become a teacher will allow me not only to educate my students, but also educate myself to be a better teacher throughout my career. I believe it is a function of human nature to want to change the world for the better. In adulthood, I have learned that the improvement of the welfare of the world must begin with
I have not always wanted to be a teacher. I always knew that I wanted to work with children in some way, but I was pretty sure that teaching was not for me. I was well on my way in my junior year of college working toward a biology degree so that I could become a pediatric physician’s assistant. I still cannot explain what happened, but one week I was a biology major, and the next I knew that I have always been meant to teach children. I suppose I just took the longer route to get there than most people do. The two main reasons that I have chosen to become a teacher is that I believe that teaching is extremely personally rewarding in many ways and the fact that I can actively make a difference in someone’s life.
There have been many factors that have inspired me to this career choice. Watching my teachers, both past and present, has inspired me to become a teacher. I have a genuine interest in lifelong learning and as such I have the desire to not only instil knowledge and values to others, but also encourage them to share my passion for learning. Social Justice and leadership roles at school, along with my extra-curricular involvement with Cowra Youth Council, have highlighted my ability to work with and for the benefit of young people. In essence I know that my abilities and aspirations will make me a good teacher.
Teaching has always been a dream of mine ever since I was a little girl. I have had multiple teachers who have impacted my life in many ways, but the one teacher who has inspired me to pursue a career in the education field as a teacher would be my math teacher that I have this year. She inspires me every day and is truly my role model. I look up to her on a daily basis, and I aspire to become a teacher because of her and how she has changed my life for the better have always appreciated the hard work that teachers do on a daily basis, and I always have appreciated the fact that they take time out of their day to teach their students valuable skills that the students may utilize in the future. I aspire to become a teacher in the future and hopefully make a difference in students’ lives. Teachers are more than just people who educate students, they are people who continue to make a difference in my life and teach me the value of hard work every day. I know that I really want to pursue a career in the education field as a teacher because I want to help people and share my love of learning with my future students. I also want to become a teacher because I would like to give back to the amazing teachers that I have this year and take what they have taught me and instill that in my future classroom. I realize that teaching is a lot of hard work, but I am willing to give one hundred percent effort on a daily basis so that students can receive a great education that they deserve.
Teaching is a daunting task that I do not intend to take lightly. Becoming a teacher has been a dream of mine for several years. I always knew that teaching would be the career for me, especially when I began working in the school system as a substitute secretary. I loved working in the school environment; coming in contact with children everyday made me realize how much I would enjoy teaching a classroom full of students.