My Philosophy of Education

My Philosophy of Education

Why do I want to be a teacher? I have thought long and hard over that question, and my answer is “I don’t know.” My initial thought about going into teaching stemmed from my own experiences. When my son was in school, a teacher gave up on him and said, “he’ll be a dropout.” They will weed him out when he gets to high school. My son is now a junior at West Virginia University. I never want to see another kid be dropped through the cracks or weeded out, when he gets to high school. Children are our greatest assets. Teachers have an obligation to try every avenue with each student until they find one that works. I know that every time I walk into a classroom of students, I get a chill up my back. I feel like I am home. I am comfortable in a room full of children, waiting and wanting to learn. I feel that it is my responsibility to give them the best education I can provide.

My philosophy of education is a blend of positive and negative points of Plato/Socrates, William Bagley’s essentialism, and B.F. Skinner’s behaviorism. Socrates’ ability to make students question, disprove and test the inner thoughts fascinate me. William Bagley’s essentialists give students the back to basics education program, with heavy emphasis put on writing, science, reading, math, art and music. I firmly believe students learn through reasoning out questions and problems and from meaningful life experiences and social interactions. B.F. Skinner’s behaviorism urge’s teachers to use a positive reinforcement to encourage a positive behavior. I do believe vocational school is the right direction for some students to pursue. I also think that students’ interests and activities should be taken int...

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...e children today are adults and leaders of tomorrow. Children will become what we teach them to become. A teacher who can motivate students, must have a positive attitude and outlook, search for the positive in every student and encourage students to question, search and discover. A teacher needs to be flexible, but firm, understanding, generate interest in everything they teach and never give up on any student. All children deserve the right to a meaningful and rich education. Children learn through the power of reasoning and life experiences.

Teachers need to retain the belief that teaching is the most important and rewarding profession one can embark upon. Teachers who strive to teach the next millennium of students will need to have valuable assets and abilities. Anything less will be unfair to the children of the future.