Abstract
“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses
their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the
genius of each.”- Plato (Goodreads Inc, 2018). When first exploring my personal philosophy of
and field studies have given me the opportunity to know only increase my knowledge and
connection to Existentialism but I was afforded the opportunity to practice my theories. I have
been given the chance to see the philosophy of other teachers and gain from valuable experience.
I have been given the tools, skills and knowledge I need to be a successful educator and build
meaning relationships with my future students. It is now my responsibility to guide their learning
down a path of organic learning while being a constant positive influence in their lives.
Existentialism was the personal philosophy chosen in my first paper stating that the
existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent should determine their own
development through acts of the will (Duemer, L.S.,2012). As I mentioned in my initial paper,
every individual has a choice. A student must choose to learn as the teacher cannot force the
information successfully. Fortunately, children have a natural curiosity of the world around
them. They have a desire to learn. Children are hungry for information and will instantly absorb
anything given to them. However, this information must be presented in a manner that is suited
My personal theory of education at its core has remained the same throughout my time at
Wesleyan. However, through my courses of study, observations and field experiences I have
developed an even greater sense of what this philosophy means and how it looks in my
classroom. Students should play an active role in their learning. From class rules and procedures
to the work they do. During Science Methods I learned the importance of the 5E’s of inquiry
based learning stated by Chitman-Booker and Kopp (2013). Allowing students to explore their
content gives them the sense of ownership in their learning. A natural engagement is created.
Once the first two E’s have been achieved the other three ( explain, elaborate and evaluate) will
“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” -Robert Frost (Goodreads Inc, 2018). I stated in
my paper before that teachers are and should be major influences in a child’s life. Children
should be taught basic moral values as well as traditional education. It’s important to know how
education and philosophy are intergraded. To be an effective classroom teacher you have to
understand your own beliefs. I had to fortunate opportunity to be placed twice with the
wonderful Jana Mann as my host teacher at Vineville Academy. From her, I gained more than
just required hours and scores. From Jana I received hands on experience in an environment that
felt safe to explore. She created for me the atmosphere I hope to create for my students. She
allowed me to take charge of my learning and her classroom. She pushed me with constructive
inexperienced.
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When I wasn’t directing the class, Jana made sure I was getting what I needed from
observations as well. She modeled for me the very philosophy I hoped to embody. Jana kept her
students informed of the reasoning behind their learning. She exposed them to concepts higher
than their current grade while keeping them in their zone of proximal development. She takes
the time to show personal interest in her students and values their personal preferences. She
engages her students in learning by means of music and motion. Students often review recently
covered concepts as well as repeat instructions in song. We know this works due to the fact that a
majority of the students are bodily-kinesthetic learners. This type of intelligence retains
information well when associated with an activity such as song and dance (Marchena Cruz,
2017).
I noted in my previous paper that the classroom should be a safe zone allowing students
to explore options, actions, new concepts and themselves. Students should be given the chance to
learn via self-discovery. The teacher should provide guidance and stimulation. Students want and
need to learn as much as they need food, clothing, and shelter. An educator's primary job is to fill
that primal need for learning by creating engaging and relevant learning experiences every day.
Pai-Hsing Wu said (2018) “The greatest gift a teacher can give students is motivating
them to experience repeated learning success.” The best way to engage a student is to have a
solid classroom management plan and a well-planned lesson that is grounded in relevant,
purposeful activities designed to enhance that student's knowledge and skills and leave her or
him wanting to learn more. In Harper’s (2012) opinion, teachers should be strongly aligned with
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Moving away from a testing culture and testing for real learning would promote the
goals of my Existential classroom. This type of assessment creates a product that would contain
all of the student’s work. This type of product allows the student to see their own work in its
entirety. Seeing the amount and type of work they’ve done over a period of time builds
confidence. In addition, they also have something tangible to gauge their own development.
Another form of assessment that I would use in leu of traditional forms of grading would be
student self-evaluation. These types of assessment would work to enhance the students’
learning, self-esteem and academic success as this approach is also proactive, student-centered
and non-competitive.
assessments allows students to see the areas they need improvement on instead of just marking
the answer wrong. I will also use the informative assessments to further guide the learning. The
results will inform me of concepts that students may need to revisit in a different format. I can
also use that data to create small groups for center based learning. These groups would then be
focused on common missed content areas allowing students to continue to feel the safe zone and
Conclusions
“The word philosophy is derived from two Greek words. The first word, philo, means
‘love.’ The second, sophy, means ‘wisdom.’ Literally, then, philosophy means ‘love of wisdom’”
(Lynch, 2016). My personal philosophy is at its core, to create a love of wisdom in children
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through the means of Existentialism. My goal for my future students is to teach them traditional
education by sparking a natural interest and curiosity while giving them some control over their
own learning. I also want to be a positive and consistent role model for my students in hopes to
make them well rounded individuals. It is my job as an educator to provide the support,
environment, materials and nurturing my students need in order to truly succeed. My time at
Wesleyan College along with my host teachers has provided me with the skills and knowledge to
do so in an effective manner.
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Works Cited
Chitman-Booker, Lakenna and Kopp, Kathleen. (2013). The 5E’s of Inquiry-Based Science.
Huntington Beach, CA. Shell Education Publishing.
Harper, Jennifer. (2012). Student-driven learning : small, medium, and big steps to engage and
empower students. Markham, Ontario : Pembroke Publishers Limited. p129.
Lynch, Matthew. (2016). The Edvocate. What you need to know as an educator: Understanding
The 4 Main Branches of Philosophy. Retrived from https://www.theedadvocate.org/need-
know-education-understanding-4-main-branches-philosophy/
Marchena Cruz, P. (2017). Enseñanza & Teaching. Exploratory study of the relationship between
the musical, visuospatial, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence and drive creativity in the
process of learning. Vol 35, Iss 2, Pp 55-75.
Wu, Pai-Hsing. (2018). Science Education. Learning Benefits of Secondary School Students'
Inquiry-Related Curiosity: A Cross-Grade Comparison of the Relationships among
Learning Experiences, Curiosity, Engagement, and Inquiry Abilities. v102 n5 p917-950.