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Students at the Center: A Philosophy of Education

As teachers, we cannot expect students to put their lives behind them and perform well in
the classroom when they are dealing with hard issues at home and with peers. We must recognize
that school will not always seem important to students because of the things they are going
through outside of class. It is because of this, that my teaching philosophy is grounded in the
belief that learning is about the students. As a teacher, I believe it is my job to meet every student
where they are, and to use their interests to grow their academic ability so that they may go on to
the next step of their lives, whether college or career, as knowledgeable and respectful
individuals who make a positive impact on society.
In order for students to achieve the goal I have set for them, they must be motivated. I
believe that there are two primary ways of motivating students, the first principle comes from
Maslow. It suggests that students must have their deficiency needs met before they can become
motivated to learn academically. Academic motivation requires fulfillment of being needs
which encourage students to continue to be motivated intrinsically. While Maslows theory does
have some clear gaps, it is useful because it acknowledges the need for the education of the
whole child, something which I believe is essential to understanding the nature of the learner
Although I cannot physically meet every need of every student, especially the needs that the
parents should be taking care of, being aware of them will help to understand why students may
not be motivated in class. I can also make sure that I am doing my best to meet some of these
needs, such as self-esteem by encouraging my students. Simply being mindful that students need
more than academic content when they are in school will help me to educate the whole child
more effectively.

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The next deals with teaching content that interests students in a way that is engaging to
students. Establishing learning groups or communities for the students to work in is important
because it allows them to create an identity for themselves within the group. This is a vital part of
the adolescents socioemotional growth according to Erikson. Also, these groups should create
solutions to real-world problems. This gives the students a purpose for learning. Many students
are unmotivated because there is no point in completing assignments. If the students work
actually affected their local community, it would make their classwork more meaningful.
One way this could work in my English class is for students to pick a cause that they are
passionate about, and then teach a unit using articles and literature that address the issue/cause.
For a final project, the students would devise a solution for the cause using guidelines from the
teacher. The guidelines would assure that English Language Arts standards are being met through
the project, but the students would be able to see a meaningful outcome from their work.
Although students will participate in collaborative work, there must be order in the
classroom as well. Students will respect each other and myself. I am not striving to have a
classroom that is always silent and where I am the sole dictator, but I do expect students to listen
respectfully and to work hard and avoid distractions. If the learning environment is chaotic, then
students will not be able to learn effectively.
As a teacher, my role in the classroom will be on the sidelines. I will always be willing to
guide and help my students, but I would like them to lead the learning process. I dont view them
as storage machines for information that I give them. I believe that they learn best by doing.
Because of this they will use the principles that I teach to complete collaborative group work
projects, and research assignments. I will occasionally lecture, but most of the work will be

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hands on. I believe that it is my responsibility to teach creatively and to be a lifelong learner
myself.
Ethically, I must maintain professional relationships with my coworkers, administration
and students. This means that I will be respectful of them and never speak poorly of them or
gossip about them. I must teach objectively. While I am a Christian, I will keep my religious
beliefs from affecting the content that I teach. I will show my students that I am a Christian
through my actions, not through bias or preaching. Lastly, I must always be fair and consistent
when dealing with my students in all areas, grading and discipline included. I must uphold the
same standards for each child.
Most importantly, I believe that my role as a teacher is to love my students and to be a
role model to them. Many students in the public school system do not have a great home life. I
want to be someone who cares about them, believes in them, and expects greatness from them. I
want my attitude towards my students to be uplifting and to show that I deeply care about their
well-being and their success. I also want to be someone that my students can look up to. I want
the way I treat others- the students, my coworkers, and my administration to be a positive
example that students can learn from.