Philosophy of Education
We spend a large portion of our lives in classrooms. Starting from pre-school to kindergarten and through high school and college. Most people will have new teachers every year, maybe new friends, maybe a new school or town or state. But most importantly, students will be getting an education no matter where they are and it is a teacher’s job, it is my job, to ensure that I give my students an education that pushes them to be the best that they can be. In my classroom I will challenge my students, I will teach to the needs of an individual and not a class, I will make the time to learn a student for who they are not for they appear to be, and I will make sure that each and every one of my students knows that they belong and that they deserve and are capable of the same education as the person next to them. My goal is to be a student’s teacher, only one among many teachers over many years, in which they will remember as they move forward with their goals and lives.
Teacher’s jobs are both simple and complex. We know our purpose to educate and shape our students but that can change every day. As a teacher it is my job and responsibility to make my classroom a place for students to feel comfortable and needed. This is because my job would not have a purpose if it wasn’t for my students. Of course a student’s job is to come to school and learn, that’s easy to say. But a student has responsibilities as well. They need to respect themselves first, knowing who they are and what they are capable of is vital to their success in education. Secondly, they need to respect others. Being a successful student means also being a good friend, peer, and classmate. Students should feel the same respect from their peers and they feel from me in the classroom. And lastly, they need to respect the place they learn in. This doesn’t mean just their classroom, it could mean a gym, a cafeteria, a library, a playground, the hallway, or even the parking lot or neighborhood. It is important for students to feel comfortable and safe where they learn and by taking care of that place they are not only helping themselves but also many other students around them. Students in my classroom are there to learn but they cannot progress unless they push themselves every day to be better than the person and student they were the day before. That is the goal of my classroom, each student leaves each day feeling better and more confident than the day before.
I grew up being around and playing sports my whole life. Through my own educational experiences I’ve learned that a classroom is so much like a game of soccer. In soccer rules are pretty simple and those who play or watch it usually know how the game works. But they also know that there will never be two soccer games exactly the same. In soccer, just like most sports, anything can happen at any moment. This is the same in a classroom, anything can happen at any time, and it is up to the teacher, much like a well-trained soccer player or coach, to respond to situations or changes as they appear. A teacher will never be able to predict exactly how their day will go the same as a team can’t expect a play-by-play of a ninety minute soccer match. One thing a teacher, and a player, can predict and rely on is that through teamwork and hard work success is possible and much more likely. As much as some players may think, there is no such thing as a one-man show in soccer. The ball is going to travel across the whole field, using all players on the team to get there. A classroom runs the same way, a teacher can teach a subject or lesson but it isn’t going to be easy to work alone, they need the help of their students to work with her to reach their goals. Practice prepares players for games the same way a classroom prepares students for the future. Students will hear often that practice makes perfect but I say it differently; practice makes permanent. As students learn and practice every day they will achieve their goals and become successful in their education.
