PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
When deciding which philosophy fits yourself, it is a lot easier said than done. All philosophies have positives to them but at the same time they each have one or two flaws. When it comes down to it there are more ways than one to teach young children. Every teacher has a different way of getting a task done in the classroom. This is why teaching is special because not every teacher is the exact same. After looking at all of at the philosophies I feel that I am split between two. The first philosophy would be Essentialism. I truly feel as a future educator it is crucial for students to understand the basics. Without the basics there is no way people can expect students to be successful and to keep moving on in school. There is a reason children start in first grade and work their way up to 12th before they graduate. Nobody starts at 12th grade and goes down. It would be impossible. The building blocks taught at the early ages can not be taken lightly because without them the students would not be able to make progress in the classroom. However, there are more things in life than passing tests and getting homework done on time. This is why I also believe in Progressivism. Progressivism teaches that students learn about real world problem solving and individual development. As a teacher it is our job to not only teach our students how to do math, read, write, and the scientific method. School is also about preparing these young minds for their future and what will happen when they get out of the classroom and enter the real world. As an educator we are supposed to prepare students as well as we possibly can so these students can be as successful as possible. This is why when choosing my philosophy I will have to say I have a philosophy with a mix of Essentialism and Progressivism.
When I think of teaching in the classroom your ethics also play an important role. The way you operate every single day and work with your students is crucial. As a teacher what do you believe in? What do you think is the right thing to do? There are going to be situations in your classroom when a student is tardy to class, hasn't done their homework, has pulled their phone out in class or is just disrespectful as others. As an educator it is your responsibility to make a decision. What is best for the student? As an educator you have to make decisions where you might give a student a second chance and talk to them. There is always going to be this grey area in teaching when working with young adults. As a teacher we think we can find the best in all of the students we come in contact with. However, at some point these students have to be held accountable for their actions. As an educator you have to decide what type of action you want to take. Do you just talk to the student or send them down to the principal? You might have two kids get caught with their phones in different classes. Do you handle both situations the same? Do you take into account what they are going through at home? Do you look into if these students have been causing problems before or is the first incident? This is where not every situation can be handled the same. Our job is educators is to do what is best for our students. We are trying to prepare them for the future and help them succeed. When you are dealing with ethics and morals there is always going to be some grey area and you might question yourself as to what decision you should make. This is when leaning on your colleagues and administrators will be a huge piece of how you handle situations. There is nothing wrong with talking to people you respect on how they would handle certain situations. When it comes to ethical decisions every decision will be different. Do what is best for the kid and don't give up on your kids. Make a pros and cons chart of the decision you are going to make. If you take your time and put your heart and soul into the decision you are caring about the kids and doing everything you can. That is all anyone can ask. At the end of the day not every decision will pan out how you hoped it would but you will know that you went through the correct process and did everything you could. At the end of the day that is what matters because we are here for the kids and we want to see them succeed.