My Teaching Philosophy
My grandfather used to say to his children, “Without an education you are nothing,” and since I was five my mother told me the same exact words. Doing well in school was not an option in my family, and neither was going to college. As a teenager, I never realized that this was not a reality for the majority of my peers. This is the reason why I feel compelled to teach. My parents gave me the opportunity to get a good education, and in turn I can help guide young adolescents who do not have the support that I did, to succeed inside and outside of the classroom. In this Philosophy of Education statement I will discuss what I believe is the purpose of education, the role of the teacher, how students learn, and how that informs how I should teach.
I believe that the purpose of education is to teach students the social skills and knowledge base that are essential to being efficacious independent citizens. This means that throughout their education students will acquire social skills such as communication, leadership, and participation so that they can collaborate well with others. In addition to teaching social skills, the purpose of education is to teach basic knowledge such as reading, writing, and computation. Without this knowledge base, students will not be able to function in society. Because I believe that the purpose of education is to prepare students to be successful independent citizens, I believe that my role as an educator is to facilitate this process.
My role as an educator is to be on the sidelines and facilitate the learning of social skills and basic knowledge. Rather than tell my students what to know, I believe that I need to guide them to the right answers. That way, they are being trained to be independent thinkers. I do not intend to be a dictator in the classroom, or to be the expert and sole source of knowledge. Because I believe my role as an educator is to facilitate learning, naturally that influences how I believe students learn.
I believe that students learn when they are forced to think independently. It is very common to have students who want to be fed the answers instead of trying to figure it out themselves. They will not learn if I give them the answers. However, they will learn if I ask the right questions. Ultimately this informs how I teach because I always answer students’ questions with a question. Also, I enjoy asking my students to create their own examples that will demonstrate whether or not they understand a concept. Lastly, I believe facilitating cooperative learning is essential to my teaching repertoire because the students gain social skills and knowledge!
In conclusion, my goal as a teacher is to create socially competent, and independent thinkers. I believe that if they have basic social skills, and the ability to think independently, then they will have the best chance at succeeding beyond the classroom. As an educator it is my duty to push my students to reach their highest potential, and when they show me a glimpse of that, it brings joy that I have never experienced before.
I believe that the purpose of education is to teach students the social skills and knowledge base that are essential to being efficacious independent citizens. This means that throughout their education students will acquire social skills such as communication, leadership, and participation so that they can collaborate well with others. In addition to teaching social skills, the purpose of education is to teach basic knowledge such as reading, writing, and computation. Without this knowledge base, students will not be able to function in society. Because I believe that the purpose of education is to prepare students to be successful independent citizens, I believe that my role as an educator is to facilitate this process.
My role as an educator is to be on the sidelines and facilitate the learning of social skills and basic knowledge. Rather than tell my students what to know, I believe that I need to guide them to the right answers. That way, they are being trained to be independent thinkers. I do not intend to be a dictator in the classroom, or to be the expert and sole source of knowledge. Because I believe my role as an educator is to facilitate learning, naturally that influences how I believe students learn.
I believe that students learn when they are forced to think independently. It is very common to have students who want to be fed the answers instead of trying to figure it out themselves. They will not learn if I give them the answers. However, they will learn if I ask the right questions. Ultimately this informs how I teach because I always answer students’ questions with a question. Also, I enjoy asking my students to create their own examples that will demonstrate whether or not they understand a concept. Lastly, I believe facilitating cooperative learning is essential to my teaching repertoire because the students gain social skills and knowledge!
In conclusion, my goal as a teacher is to create socially competent, and independent thinkers. I believe that if they have basic social skills, and the ability to think independently, then they will have the best chance at succeeding beyond the classroom. As an educator it is my duty to push my students to reach their highest potential, and when they show me a glimpse of that, it brings joy that I have never experienced before.