Sylwia Denko Philosophy of Education The purpose of school is to create a well-rounded human being academically and socially.

Through this, we need to help students find and peruse their passion. We need to teach the essential subjects: mathematics, literacy, history, and practical/fine subjects such as cooking, art, music, homemaking, and finances. By gaining this knowledge they will learn the information that will be needed in life. Through this process we should have successfully cultivated social skills through student/student interactions and student/ teacher interactions. Because we are constantly around people, these skills are necessary. After a basic understanding of all subjects a student should know their strengths and weaknesses. Certain subjects however, can only be mastered to a degree based on interest and ability. We cannot push a student to continue studying a subject that is to no interest to them. We take the potential that is not used and use it to prepare a student to the maximum degree in the area of their own preference and interest. Learning is improving. We start in kindergarten learning letters and numbers. By senior year of high school we use that foundation to write papers, read books, and solve problems in calculus and chemistry. If we were able to learn all the fundamental knowledge at 5 years old, in order to get where we were senior year of high school we had to have improved. We learned more and more each year of grade school, adding knowledge into our brains, constantly shaping what we already know. Because we used previously taught material and expanded on it in order learn more advanced material we know that we have improved. This is learning.

Children learn through explanation, practice, experience, and then moving on to more advanced material. For example, children are explained basic information such as addition, then they are told to apply what they know, and then they practice. After experiencing successes and failures they are able to continue to improve upon what they already know by being explained more advanced material such as (2x-8=10) which requires the understanding of addition, further explanation, more practice, and more experience. They are improving and therefore; learning. When I teach, I will be the director. My students will learn through demonstration, drill, and practice. I plan to show my students how to accomplish tasks and have them practice after following my instructions. This is effective because after a student watches an adult whom they trust succeed in accomplishing a task, they should feel confident to attempt it. After drilling and practicing the material, they may have failures but these are important because they show the child what not to do. After succeeding, they will see what they are learning through the demonstration of the teacher and the cycle will go on. A quality curriculum is one that adheres to the student. They need to be current with the times and the students needs. They need to be frequently modified because times are always changing. However, there are still basic skills and fundamental foundations that need to be taught. For example, in my classroom I will teach my students the understanding of math and how to calculate. This is necessary even with computers and calculators being a very big part of our lives. Children need to understand how to do things and then they are able to use tools that assist them with learning.