My Personal Philosophy of Education

Introduction

Being a student at Mercy College and an upcoming Teacher, my personal philosophy of education is discussed in this essay. What is important to me is fully gaining knowledge from my education that will prepare me to be the best possible teacher. Being a student can be very tough in many ways. Handling the work workload that is given to us, the number of essays we have to write, and the homework assignments we have to do can bring a lot of tension stress and painful headaches. One thing I learned from the college experience that is going to stick with me for life is that the workload can be very hard to handle, but after it’s done and I gain knowledge, I will feel very blessed and very happy with the amount of work that I did. Honestly speaking, that is the best thing I have learned as a student. Doing all the work and gaining knowledge and using that in my everyday life is a privilege. Not all people get to go to school or get to go to college and learn subjects or gain knowledge from teachers or from some of the best professors that the school has to offer. Also, it’s very important for us as students to build a connection with our professors and show them every student in the classroom wants to learn from them and wants to be as successful as they can. In my opinion, professors are some of the best people out there; if we really think about it, it is professors who are the reason each year young people like me and other college students from all over the world are graduating and going on to do the jobs that they love. Professors are the reason why people in the world are so successful and knowledgeable, and it honestly hurts me to say that they don’t get enough recognition or not enough respect or all the love that they deserve. It is very important for professors to feel the connection with their students and treat them as daughters and sons that they want to see succeed. It is also very important for professors to make sure their students get the education that they need to get ahead in life, but while teaching students, professors should make sure that they make learning for their students fun and interesting to the point where they come to class every day and develop a passion to learn. I truly believe that professors and students can have a great bond if they can understand each other and build a trust. I believe that every professor and every student can change the world for the better.

My Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education is that every child should have the right to learn and get great quality of education. In my educational experiences, I have seen a wide collection of teachers and teaching styles. I have been in classes that have largely impacted my life and others that have left a simple dent of influence. I have come to be able to distinguish between the characteristics that comprise a good teacher, and those that do the opposite. I know that a powerful teacher is one who can teach lessons both inside and outside of the classroom, one who can establish a personal connection with his or her students, and one that former students remember well into their adult lives. Through examining traits of former teachers in my life, my personal strengths, and my own opinions on teaching, I have learned components of what defines an exceptional educator. I always tell myself things don’t come easy for us; we have to work hard to accomplish them.

Teachers take a lot of responsibility in teaching students. For instance, teachers are responsible for encouraging their students to have a positive attitude toward learning, not only for today, but also for tomorrow as part of a lifelong experience. Since I started school, until now as I am in college, I have had many teachers who have influenced me to be where I am now in positive and negative ways. As I explained in my reflection paper, when I was in my country Jordan, I struggled a lot in school due to the use of physical punishments. But when I came to the United States, everything changed. My dislike of school became a like because the school system is way different from that in Jordan. I am more motivated, and now I keep pushing myself to learn more. Every time I think about this, it makes me realize that not every teacher deserves to be called one because that title is reserved for great ones. I believe that every person has a different way of learning and this should be taken into account. I want to be that teacher who makes students love school and makes them learn in a better way.

Influence of Scholars

My philosophy about learning has been influenced by a number of scholars, which include John Dewey, who was a strong proponent for progressive educational reform. As Talebi (2015) explains, he believed that education should be based on the principle of learning through doing. In 1894 Dewey and his wife Harriet started their own experimental primary school, the University Elementary School, at the University of Chicago. Another philosopher of education was Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, known for his work on child development. I am currently enrolled in a course called Child Psychology and the two philosophers of education that I am learning about are Jean Piaget and John Dewey. These philosophers stood out to me the most because I have a similar way of teaching, and I have also experienced their techniques of teaching as a great way of learning for me. I have used my child psychology book that has a lot of great information about both scholars. As Berk (2012) explains, Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called “genetic epistemology.” Piaget placed great importance on the education of children. Piaget’s cognitive development theory of the individual has influenced the contemporary field of child development more than any other theory. Both philosophers’ beliefs about education are a great way that students can learn. For example, Dewey recurrently claims that “education and learning are social reforms that can and should take place. He believes that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum and all students should have the opportunity to take part in their own learning”. He made a strong case for the importance of education not only as a place to gain knowledge, but also as a place to learn how to live. He also claimed that the main purpose of education should not revolve around the acquisition of predetermined set of skills, but rather the realization of one’s full potential and the ability to use those skills for the greater good. He also points out that “To prepare a student for his future life means to give him command of himself; it means to train him that he will have the full and ready use of all his capacities” (Talebi, 2015, p. 3-4). Therefore, motivating students is clearly an important task when it comes to bringing out the best in them. Part of a teacher’s job is helping their students realize their capabilities. If possible, it is imperative for a teacher to conduct a deeply rooted analysis on the issues that may potentially lead to an unmotivated student, for instance, social factors like complicated family matters. And sometimes, physical conditions may delay students from achieving their best work. Dewey’s idea was that teachers of education should not only focus on producing persons who know how to teach a son as they leave the program, rather teacher of education should be concerned with producing professional students of education who have the propensity to inquire about the subjects they teach.

Conclusion

In my philosophy of education, students are often encouraged to help determine curriculum and learn by doing. This means students must have the opportunity to learn in a community by engaging in authentic and meaningful learning projects. An ideal learning environment would be a setting where interaction and collaboration are encouraged. There are many steps for academic success that teachers should set a foundation for their classrooms. So, class teachers should set boundaries that are agreeable to everyone not just a teacher.

References

1. Berk, L.E. (2012). Infants and Children; Prenatal through Middle Childhood. Pearson; New York, New York.
2. Talebi, K. (2015). John Dewey--Philosopher and Educational Reformer. Online Submission, 1(1), 1-13.

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