Philosophy of Education

Leila Turner

Why do we educate children? We dont do it for ourselves or because school is

somewhere to send our kids for 8 hours a day. We educate our kids so they can have the best
opportunities in life. We educate our kids so they can be the best people they can be. We educate
our kids because they are our future. The purpose of education is to better society and the
children that live in it. We want our children to grow up to be self-sufficient, intelligent, kind,
and hard-working members of society. The purpose of education is to shape the minds of our
future adults and to make sure they have the knowledge to succeed in society. We send our kids
to elementary school to give them a foundation that will support them throughout their
educational lives and beyond and without this foundation we cannot expect them to succeed.
It is not just the teacher that creates a successful class but it is also the environment in
which the children learn. I believe that in order for a child to learn best the learning environment
should be warm, inviting, stress-free, and most importantly supportive. Abraham Maslow states
that A positive and supportive climate for learning must be established and maintained in the
classroom. No matter what kind of learner a child is or where they are from they should all feel
supported and special. Some kids learn faster and some learn slower. Some have strong math
skills but poor reading/writing skills and some have poor math skills but strong reading/writing
skills. Jerome Bruner believes that the level of difficulty of instruction and tasks is adjusted to
accommodate learner differences. This is something that becomes more and more vital as our
world develops and grows. As technology advances and evolves it becomes more apparent that
some strategies work for some and not for other. For instance, by using apps in the classroom
that record how fast a child answers multiplication problems we see that although one can finish

in 5 minutes and get most of them right, another child can finish in an hour and get as many, if
not more correct as the previous student.
A 21st century classroom is a widely diverse classroom. There are students who come
from many different cultures and families but they all deserve the same quality of education. By
taking into consideration all of their cultural differences when writing and designing lesson plans
I can make sure that everyone is included. By learning more about each individual student I can
use this information to create a welcoming and accepting environment where all students feel
comfortable.
Curriculum is one of the toughest parts of teaching. What subject do you spend the most
time on? What subject is more important? The answer to both of these questions is that ALL
subjects are equally important and should be treated as such. While I know in real life that some
things take precedence over others it is important to view all subjects as equally important.
English/Language Arts and Math are the two most focused on core subjects and they are
extremely important but we cannot neglect the other subjects for two. There should be a set
amount of time for each subject and, whether the students are learning math, science, history,
visual/performing arts, or health, they are still using language. Language arts instruction should
be included in all of these subjects indirectly so that the children are always learning and their
language arts and literacy skills are always improving no matter what subject is being taught.
Physical education is one of the most important subjects in school and is the only one that has a
required amount of 100 hours per week. Physical education is so important because when the
kids are active and exercising on a regular basis they are more likely to do well not just in school
but in life as well. Studies have shown that children who are active and take part in some form of
exercise regularly do well in all areas.

Being an effective teacher takes commitment, understanding, strength, passion, and

kindness. Teaching is about caring so passionately about your kids that it becomes your life.
Teaching is about making a childs success or failure in school your responsibility and not
accepting mediocrity when it comes to your life as a teacher. As a teacher we never stop learning;
no matter if you have been teaching for 3 years or 30 years and it is our responsibility to continue
to learn and grow in order to better serve our students. I believe that being a teacher is one of the
most important and vital careers out there. Who our children become as adults is based a lot on
the teachers they spend the first 13 years of their time with in primary and secondary school. As
long as I can remember all I have ever wanted to be was a teacher. Not because I had all bad
teachers or all good teachers but because I had a little bit of both and those teachers are the
reason I am here today. I am a graduating senior in liberal studies preparing to enter the
credential program and I know that teaching is the right profession for me.