My Philosophy of Education
Shae West
College of Education, Vanguard University
EDUG 524: Foundations in Teaching
Dr. Hittenberger
December 11, 2023
The first thing to determine what one’s philosophy of something is, is to simply
consider what is that thing? In this case, what is education? In the vague and general sense
of the word, I believe that education is the accumulation of knowledge, the growing of the
mind, and the gaining of understanding. Fairly basic yes, but it is a crucial understanding
when considering why education is important. To that question, I ask one of my own—how
can we, how can anyone, restore, fix, better, progress, or improve anything in this world, if
they do not already have an understanding of how it works?
Education is important because without knowledge of the current situation, current
technology, climate, or whatever the discipline may require, nothing can be done about the
situation. This belief leads me to conclude that the most important goals for education is
simply to grow the mind, and gain multi-dimensional, interdisciplinary knowledge and
understanding. This is a very progressivist mindset. Under this philosophy, education is
meant to, “equip students to do the work of transformation.”
In order to “futureproof” our students, their education must three things:
motivating, meaningful, and lasting. A fun and exciting lesson is a motivating one;
motivation is the catalyst, it is what initiates the engine of learning. A lesson that is
meaningful and relevant is what keeps that engine running, even when the situation
becomes difficult or hard. It is how our students are able to endure the ups and downs of
learning. A person is able to endure a hard circumstance if they believe the end result to be
worth it, if they believe it will positively impact their life. A lasting education is also crucial.
That positive impact that comes from meaningfulness, can only truly be meaningful if it
affects life outside of the classroom as well. A lasting education is one that goes beyond the
walls of the classroom, beyond the test or final exam.
A couple of educational thinkers from the past believed similarly. Maria Montessori
is a great example. While much of her work did focus on younger children, the concepts can
still be applied to middle and high school students. . Montessori emphasized the need for
children to learn within the context of the real world and the importance of relevant
content.
For all sorts of reasons, it is important for educators to recognize their own
philosophies of education. This can help determine your “why”--as in, why do what you do,
why in that way and method. Everyone has their own philosophy, their own “why”; this is
good, this is part of what makes each of us unique. These differing philosophies though, can
lead us to butt heads with one another, because too often, we see only what the other
person is against, and not what they are for. I can think of three instances where we might
see these heads butting against each other: the Ethnic Studies course requirement, the
updating of ELA reading curriculum, and standardized testing.
In short, on one side of these three cases is a philosophy that values the ensurement
of justice, relevancy and a deeper understanding beyond rote memorization. While the
philosophies on the other side of the argument value providing students with information
and skills to make their own conclusions and learning the most powerful and important
information, moments, and truths of human history. None of these things are wrong, in fact
they are all good, but what we believe influences how we act, and these different beliefs
lead people to act in very different ways.
My personal vision for education and our American system is that students would
graduate prepared for the future—both the future of society and their own personal future.
I also hope that one day the general feelings toward education and school is not that it is a
chore, or a means to an end, but rather a privilege and a jumping off point toward
progression. While I may not be able to accomplish these for the entire system of
education, I hope that I can realize these goals within my own classroom, for my specific
students.
The progressivist philosophy also lines up with my own faith and how that
influences my career. Under the philosophy of progressivism students’ individual
personalities, assets, and skill sets are highlighted. Students work at different paces, on
different levels, and their education is catered to their own desires, while still challenging
them to higher and deeper levels. This emphasizes each student’s unique selves, and their
unique callings, which are God-given. We are all uniquely and beautifully different, which
means we require different kinds of preparation. Education cannot be a “one size fits all”
institution. My calling is to prepare each of my students for the work that God has created
and called them to do. It would be unwise of me to assume each student needs the exact
kind of preparation as the next.
