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A Career in Education
I have been interested in a career in education since I was very young. My grandfather and grandmother both retired from the school system (one as a principal and the other as a Home Economics teacher). I look to them as role models. Helping others understand the world around themselves has always been enjoyable to me.
The purpose of public education is to allow the citizens of the United States a chance to become educated to a national standard that enables them to compete for jobs or higher education wherever they choose to live. This is extremely important because it allows people to aspire in their field of interest or expertise, despite their backgrounds. This permits the United States to have the capabilities to compete in and dominate world markets. On an individual level, it allows people to achieve a greater sense of self-worth than they might otherwise be able to obtain.
As a student, I have found that I support several different educational philosophies. These include essentialism, progressivism, and social reconstruct...
Presently, I am a Special Education teacher working with children who have a wide range of learning disabilities. My goal is to help students achieve their goals by making the appropriate modification to meet their needs. These needs are not limited, but may include emotional, physical, or cognitive. To start with my interest in this field is because I feel with the proper help and assistance; students are able to achieve anything. Education is essential for everyone. Undoubtedly, the reason why pursuing a PhD is the right decision for me, is because I enjoy what I do, I believe that helping is the key, and more importantly students are in need. At this level, my ultimate goal is to help students that have a learning disability and provide them with the proper resources needed to enhance it. In addition, want to help students to conquer their obstacle and give them the motivation to strive for the best. Introduce students to an education with no limits. In general, I want to have the opportunity to see all my education, hard work, dedication, and motivation in this field, to be well payed off. Admittedly, I want the opportunity to look back at my journey and say “it was all worth it”.
I have always known that I would be in the education field. Both my mom and aunt are retired teachers. I spent countless hours in their classrooms growing up, seeing first hand the passion and hard work that goes into teaching. Unlike my role models, I chose a different path as an undergraduate student. I chose to begin my educational career in the science field, which enabled me to work for a pharmaceutical laboratory. However this left me wanting more, knowing that my true passion was being in a classroom. After to moving to Florida for my husband to pursue his PhD, I too went back to school for my alternate certification and fell more in love with teaching than I thought was possible.
I am choosing to study the Career Field of Elementary education. (Teaching) I have been interested in teaching for a long time because I have always been around teachers and they talk about the joy of helping children learn and grow in their education. This particular career field interest me because of how I love to learn new things. I believe that everybody needs a good education to be successful, and I would love to help children achieve that education they need. Most importantly I want to find new and creative ways of making learning fun.
All six of the major educational philosophies Perennialism, Progressivism, Essentialism, Existentialism, Social Reconstruction, and Behaviorism are in my opinion feasible in the classroom. However, I have chosen Essentialism as the primary philosophy I would like to employ in my classroom for several reasons. Although I think all six would result in learning, which is the primary purpose of education, I think that Essentialism is superior to the other five for my classroom. I feel this way because it embraces the purpose or original goal of public education, it allows lessons to be gauged to all different learning styles, and finally because essentialism employs methods of teaching and discipline that I believe work exceptionally well with my content specialization.
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.
My aspect towards which philosophies to use in education is eclectic. I predominately agree with the Progessivist theory because it is student centered and perceives students as individuals. I believe that these individual needs should be expressed and accommodated in the classroom. I also feel its important for the educational environment to include a democratic process, where students have a chance to voice their opinions about the material they will learn and the rules that they must follow. I feel that when students help direct their own path, that they gain more respect in the classroom and increase their drive to learn. Another factor I’m akin to about using Progressivism in the classroom is that it is experience-centered and deals with actual problems that students face in life. I agree with John Dewey’s belief that students learn more by doing because it has meaning. An additional belief that Dewey and myself consider vital is that students should learn how to apply previously learned information and skills to solve new issues. This teaches students’ critical thinking skills and problem solving methods.
As individuals who will one day become the future of their own community, the importance of them receiving an education increases. Public schools are places where people are given the chance to learn. The ability to learn, improve, and explore different areas is innate. As children, we learn to speak and walk at a young age. As children mature, they learn more words and processes. These skills that we learn are a part of us and therefore are part of our basic rights. Public schools become the place where individuals are presented with the opportunity to explore new areas to find what they enjoy and learn about those particular areas to a point where they become experts at their field.
My desire to be an elementary education teacher began at an early age and has continued throughout my life. In both my summer job and volunteer experiences I have sought opportunities where I can teach and impact others. I want to combine the skills I have learned in these opportunities to teach elementary education students, while also encouraging them to embrace their potential and realize their goals.
Through my own experiences, and as enforced by others' opinions in the profession, I have found that teaching is one of the most rewarding careers. Not only are you placed in the position of instructing and guiding children and young adults through the life long learning process, but you are able to give back to the schools and communities which have supported your early education and experiences that opened you up to a bright future. In becoming an educator, I hope to someday share the knowledge and lend the helping, supportive hand that I was once given, allowing students to formulate their own perspectives of the multicultural society and world around them. Teaching is a career I have been interested in pursuing throughout high school, and as my experiences and study in the field expands, I feel that my desire to teach will grow stronger and develop more soundly.
Becoming a teacher has been the ultimate aspiration for myself since the first day I walked into kindergarten. As a very timid student, it was a difficult task transitioning from being with my mother everyday, to being part of a classroom environment full of strangers. However, my kindergarten teacher helped me through this transition smoothly, and adequately. I very quickly learned to love school. Soon after, I knew I would aspire to become a teacher. I would spend countless hours at home with a blackboard, acting as a teacher to my imaginary students throughout my elementary school years.
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.
The two philosophies that I have chosen to write about for my Education Philosophy Paper includes progressivism and existentialism. Progressivism focuses on the child rather than the subject matter. Due to society always changing, new ideas are important to make the future better than the past for students learning. This educational philosophy stresses that students should test ideas by active experimentation. Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world. Progressivists believe that individuality, progress, and change are fundamental to one 's education. Existentialism is a highly subjective philosophy that stresses the importance of the individual and emotional commitment to living authentically. It emphasizes individual choice over
“Teaching is often a difficult process, but the end result is very rewarding. Watching a child develop confidence and seeing a student progress in their studies is a very exciting process. Teaching young children is especially great because it is setting a foundation for life-long learning.”(Chronicle guidance publications). What is teaching? A teacher is a person who provides education for pupils (children), or students (adults) using lectures, audiovisual aids, demonstrations, and computers to present academic, social, and motor skills. Teachers can also teach foreign languages, art, kids with special needs, and P.E. Teaching has changed a lot compared to the traditional methods of just lectures and textbooks. Students now are encouraged to actively learn through groups or individual projects. They have learning games, debates, and experiments to help them through the learning process. Being a teacher would be a great career for anyone who wants to further themselves, to help people, and to have great benefits (chronicle guidance publications).
“Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not preparation for life but is life itself.” John Dewey describes and supports progressivism, an education philosophy that I professionally identify with. Progressivism is a student centered philosophy that focuses on experiences, opportunities, and values that enhance a student 's learning and life. The role of the teacher is to act primarily as a facilitator of learning, they encourage and guide students to explore and promote individual development. As a future educator I believe it is important to involve students and allow them to take responsibility for their own learning and achieving their goals. The role of the student is to discover, engage, and express themselves.
My philosophy of education is a combination of essentialism and progressivism . I feel that knowledge can be learned from a textbook, but I also want my students to use other means of knowledge. I fell in certain times, I should be the center of the classroom and other times, the students should be the center. Education is about the students and I am there to guide them through their journey. I think it's important to let children learn by exploring. By doing this, they choose what information is important and should be retained. When it comes to learning, students should always be in the center. The teachers are only there to mentor and improve upon a child's skills. In my mind progressivism with a mix of essentialism is the best philosophy for me to follow.