Gabriella Go

EDU 202
St. Aubin
March 23, 2016
Personal Philosophy of Education
I believe the educational system in America is a large factor of what shapes young
individuals into the adults they will become. Everything about school; from your classes, to your
teachers, and your peers will have an effect on you. I am choosing to teach because I had a
wonderful education, surrounded with positive memories and unique experiences that I hope to
supply and be a part of for students in the future. I am choosing to teach because I believe
education is a true gift, that not everyone in this world gets. While many young individuals in
other countries still do not attend school, or are not allowed to learn to read, I believe education
is a wonderful thing we often take for granted. I am choosing to teach because I would like to
share this outlook with others, as I sincerely enjoy learning and teaching, this is something I
could see myself being happy with doing for my entire career.
As mentioned, Ive had a very positive education experience. Starting from my earliest
memories, I have always been excited to attend school and see what the day has in store; due
to teachers who made learning fun and exciting. Ive really lucked out in the sense of having
some exceptional teachers. I believe appealing to younger students about their approach on
education is fundamental. If a young child is taught to be indifferent about school, or have a
negative approach about it, this will stick with that child through their educational years. In my
experiences, all through elementary school especially; my teachers instilled in their students
that education is a precious bestowal, one to treasure and feel honored to obtain. The
knowledge they are passing on to us, will need to remain in our brain for a lifetime. This
philosophy really resonated with me.

As for the personal knowledge and skill set I obtain that will assist me in teaching; I am
extremely patient, I will explain something over and over in different ways until someone
understands what they need to know. I am very organized and efficient. For me, everything has
a designated place, and will remain clean and well kept. I enjoy planning out when things need
to be done, how I will do them, and then executing the task. I think this will tremendously help
me out with lesson planning. I believe I am very well versed on different types of learning, and I
am very compassionate in the sense that I genuinely want everyone to walk away from my class
confident, and understand what we went over.
My education philosophy is Social Reconstructionism. I highly agree with the social
reconstructionist classroom. I believe appealing to emotion to intellectually inform students is a
successful approach. I agree completely with reconstructing society, and I believe this starts
with the youngest members of society; students. My psychological orientation about education
is Constructivism. I completely agree that education must not be handed from one another, but
constructed through interpretation. You could hand someone the knowledge and tell them what
the Pythagorean Theorem is, but if you do not construct a plan for them to learn it, and
implement ways to teach it, then I dont believe you have successfully taught them how to apply
and use the Pythagorean Theorem. For most, learning is truly hands on.
Some strategies I will implement in teaching are; writing a clear and concise plan on the board
at the beginning of each class, showing what we will be learning and doing that day, what is due
today, and what is assigned for next class. Doing a beginning of the class warm up. Whether it
be watching CNN Student News, or recapping what we learned last class; I believe warm ups
are a successful tool at the beginning of class to get the students acclimated to what they are
jumping in to. 50% credit, one week late work, is a policy I will implement, I had this policy all
through high school and this was a huge help in preparing me for college. Another strategy I will
implement is having my students often work in groups. I think overall group work is a positive
tool because students can collaborate together and learn from one another.

My approaches to learning, student diversity, and student variability will be to analyze all of my
lesson plans and ensure that my teaching can appeal to all types of students; visual, auditory,
and kinesthetic learners alike. I will make sure to create an environment where it is clear that
questions may be asked at any time, and no one should feel inferior about not understanding.
As for assessments, I am not a good test taker, therefore I wont be a big test giver. I would
rather use discussions and projects to analyze what my students are understanding, and what
they arent.
Qualities you must possess to move forward in this career would be dilligence, organization,
confidence in public speaking, patience, time management, and understanding of subject
matter. If you dont have these, I think one may become overwhelmed in teaching. I believe for
myself, I must work on public speaking and understanding of subject matter, and once i have
mastered these, I will truly succeed in teaching.
Some specific steps I plan to undertake in order to achieve my goal of becoming a teacher are
to in the next 1-2 years, become a teachers aid, or at least get some kind of position in the
school district. That way I will have my foot in the door, and I can have references for my
resume. Through this, I will continue my education in Secondary Education, getting my
Associates at CSN and then my Bachelor's at UNLV. I am excited to keep learning about
education and taking all the opportunities I have to get closer to my goal.