Philosophy of Education 1

Emily Hall
My Philosophy of Education
The Purpose of Education
While there are four main purpose of education: intellectual, political, economic, and
social, I believe the most important purpose of education is the social aspect. While the
intellectual purpose of school is important to students, without learning lifelong social skills, it
doesnt really matter how much they know. In my classroom, students will learn to understand
their role within the classroom, within the school, and most importantly within society. My
students will learn essential social skills and core value including respect, responsibility, honesty,
and accountability.
I also want my students to become independent thinkers. While the core subjects such as
reading, writing, and arithmetic are very important, I want my students to become critical
thinkers, starting at a young age. Anyone can memorize random facts, but it take critical thinking
skills to be able to understand and comprehend those memorized facts. Throughout this class, I
have developed the personal philosophy of constructivism. I believe that students need to be
presented with new information, but in order to really learn the material, the students must
construct the knowledge within their own minds. As a teacher, it will be essential for me to
create a learning environment in which students can build upon their own knowledge and think
for themselves.
After learning, constructing, and understanding the knowledge, I hope for students to go
and use this information in the world, to go and make a difference. I want my students to set
goals for their life to make the world a better place. The purpose of school is not just the

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intellectual side. School provides student with an intellectual framework in order to become
productive citizens in the world.
Curriculum: What should be taught and Why?
I absolutely hate standardized tests. This semester, I had the opportunity to work in a very
diverse classroom, where there were several language. For the majority of students, English was
not their primary language. I dont understand how you can expect a student, who barely speaks
English, take an analytical reading test in the English language. During my career in education, I
will work to reform the ideas behind standardized testing. Although I do not agree with
standardized testing, I do think standards of learning are necessary. I believe that the standards of
learning should be made at the state level. While it would be great if we could have national
level of learning, its not realistic in a country the size and diversity of the United States. Because
I believe education prepares students for the real world, I do believe curriculum should be
governed by the state. I think each state should write visible curriculum for the core subjects
including math, science, history, and English. If this curriculum comes from the state, it can be
ensured that all students across the state, regardless of race or economic level, are receiving the
same core education. But, I think elective curriculum should be written by the individual schools
or counties. Every school has different needs, wants, and specific gifts to offer to the students of
the school. If the extra curriculum is developed by the schools, it will add variety for the
students.
As stated in my purpose of education, I believe that social skills are very important and
necessary to be taught it schools. I will be an elementary school teacher, so my students will
learn skills social skills such as team work, partner work, manners, and respect for all people. I
think the majority of teachers want their students to be well-rounded, well-mannered team

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players. If these skills of good citizenship were written into the curriculum, educators could be
assured that all students are learning how to be productive individuals. If good citizen skills are
added to the curriculum, it would be necessary for this curriculum to be written at the state level
or below. A national standard would not be an accurate curriculum because social etiquette
varies throughout the country. I believe as age and grade level increases, so should lessons of
civics. In high school classes, students can learn how to be productive citizens. Students can
learn the importance of voting, keeping up with politics, and serving their country.
Nature of the Learner
The most important characteristic that I will expect from my students is respect. While I
have several behaviors and responsibilities set for my students, they all root back to respect. I
expect my students to respect me, the classroom, and each other. I will earn the respect of
students by first respecting them, because I believe respect is something that must be earned. I
expect my students to respect the classroom and the materials in the room, because we are very
fortunate to have supplies and books to use in the classroom. And most importantly, my students
will respect each other. Not all the students in my class have to be best friends, but I will not put
up with bullying or disrespect between students. Every student will respect and care for every
other student regardless of race, intelligence, or fundamental differences.
Academically, my students will be initiative, problem solvers, and creative. I want to see
my students work independently, instead of just as a group. I want my student to try to solve
problems, without being told specifically how to solve them. I want my students to make
mistakes, and try again. My student will be allowed to fail, as long as they get back up and try
again. My students will be encouraged to think outside the box, and try to solve problems in new
and innovative ways.

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In regards to written work and class time, I want my student to always put their best
effort into the material being learned. I want them to be responsible and turn their work in, when
asked. I will ensure this responsibility by teaching specific procedures and standards at the
beginning of the school year, and then enforcing and these standards the entire semester. I
believe if students are given a realistic expectation, and encouraged to reach this expectation, that
all goals can be met. Goals must be encouraged by the teacher though, and this ties back into
mutual respect.
Most importantly, I want my student to be engaged in the classroom. Whether it be
through interacting with other students, paying attention to the lessons, or completing classwork
and homework assignments, my students will be expected to be constantly engaged in class, as it
produces the most self-sufficient learners. If my students are not actively engaged, class time will
be wasted, but if they are actively engaged, we will be able to create a positive and successful
learning environment together.
Effective Classroom Environment
Im a really big believer in the idea of attitude changing everything. I truly believe that a
positive attitude can change a situation. And, I also believe that a negative attitude can spread
through a crowd, even faster than a positive attitude. So, I as a teacher, will first check my
attitude. I think it will be important to have a separation between my school and my personal life.
Meaning, if I have problems at home, I have to leave them at home, and not let them effect my
class. On the other hand, it will be important for me to have a life outside of the classroom. So, if
I have a long day at work, I have to go home, and enjoy being at home. It will be important,
especially my first year, to separate school and home.

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Even more importantly, is my attitude towards my students. It will be very important for
me to convey an attitude towards my students that encourages them all to succeed. This includes
not having unconscious biasedness towards specific groups of students. I also will make sure I
have a positive attitude towards all subjects. For example, I hate English. I dont like reading,
and comprehension is really difficult for me. As a teacher though, I understand the importance of
English, and I will have some students who love English. If I have a negative attitude towards
English, then my students might also. So, it will be important for me to love the subject matter I
am teaching.
I believe the two most important elements of effective classroom management are
ecological and socioemotional climate. I am not a very organized person, but I love habit,
schedule and predictability. I think if my classroom is managed in an ecological way, and has
many well-known procedures, learning will increase. I want my classroom to be very structured.
I also will style my classroom with the socioemotional climate. I want to have personal
relationships with all of my students, as it creates a better environment for learning. As a student,
in all of the classes I have been in, when I have a personal relationship with the teacher, I want to
try harder, and I want to succeed. When I am just a name, or have a negative relationship with
the teacher, I tend to be more apathetic towards the class. I dont want apathetic students, I want
excited and engaged students.
The Role of the Teacher
An effective, engaged, and compassionate teacher is what educators all strive to be, but
this type of teacher take time and experience to develop. In addition, there are character qualities
that help create effective, engaged, and compassionate teachers. These character qualities are
motivation, control of the classroom, and preparedness. Most importantly, a teacher must be

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motivated for their students. If a teacher is motivated and excited about material being taught,
and teaching it to their students, the students may reciprocate this motivation. In addition, the
teacher must have control of the classroom. If the teacher does not have a balance of control and
power in the classroom, students learning will suffer. Its important for a teacher to have balance
of order, without chaos or without domination. Too much or too little power in the classroom
will hinder learning. This is a character trait that I will need to work on for my classroom. It will
be easy for me to let the control of my classroom slip, and my classroom could easily turn to
chaos. Finally, its important for a teacher to be prepared. Teachers need to understand the
content they are teaching. I think its important to have a general understanding, to teach to the
class, but I think its also important for the teacher to have above and beyond knowledge. Also
with preparedness comes the preparation of lesson plans. In my first year teaching, this will be
essential to helping my class run smoothly. Staying organized and prepared will make my
classroom better.
Diversity is something thats really important to me, therefore it will be important in my
classroom. Diversity is more than just race; it includes race, social class, gender, disabilities,
academic levels, religion, and family style. I think diversity is something that needs to be talked
about. Starting small conversations as a class will help my students acknowledge diversity within
the classroom, within their friend groups, and within their communities. I will engage diverse
students by allowing them to acknowledge and be proud of their differences. My students in the
classroom will be accepting of these difference, through me encouraging them to be accepting.