Education Philosophy
 

          Plato and Aristotle both believed that “a person’s most important purpose was to serve and improve humankind.” When I think about this, I think that the one group of people that touches the lives of so many is educators. We have and affect one another, families, students, the community, and who knows how many lives we touch in our everyday lives. This is my path; these philosophers are my guides into the most influential job that there is, education. Being a student of education for the past forty-two years I have gained so much knowledge and insight into the world, yet there is so much more to learn and read. For me, the foundation for everything is reading. My philosophy comes down to one thing, if you can read then you can do anything. The sky is the limit when you can read and it all starts at home, until that fateful day those children arrive in our classroom doorway and then we help guide them through this crazy unpredictable world. Teaching them to not only be kind but to become intelligent, successful H.U.M.A.N.s through our teaching.

          We need to use Holistic Learning by applying what theorists have taught us about growth and development like Erik Erickson’s stages of his Theory of Development, Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory, or Piaget’s Theory of cognitive development to guide these young children and help them develop into the best person that they can be. As educators, we need to understand our student's diversity, which takes many different forms. I am not just speaking of mindful or physical but also environmental. To Understand Diversity not only will we become better educators but better, more mindful people. Once we understand our students, we will be able to build lasting relationships with them and their families. By Managing Learning Environments, we can have some consistency in the lives of our students while respecting them, each other, and their culture and background. It is our duty to take these young children and teach them to read and to use their newfound knowledge to continue to learn. To see if we are having success with our teaching strategies, we need to Assess Student Learning in a timely, unbiased manner. If we are not making a change then we need to change and research new ways to reach our students. While researching for new and alternative ways of teaching we should teach our students Newer Approaches to Student Learning through Technology. As we continue to learn we will be better able to teach our students.

         Not only is it our job to teach them English, mathematics, social studies, science, and more, but it is our job to help them become the best versions of themselves. We need to set high expectations for them and teach them that they can do anything. The establishment of a culture for learning will be reflected in the setting and tone of my classroom.  The classroom will need to be organized, implement goals, and be a safe environment for all who enter. I will, to the best of my abilities, make sure my students understand the material, encourage them to lead discussions and lessons and teach each other. With time I hope I will be able to assist and teach every student to the best of my ability. Finally, I will take my students to a higher level of thinking and appreciation of their knowledge not just in the classroom but in the world around them. It is very important that the school becomes a small community, which is something I intend to take on in any future school that I teach. When a community comes together anything is possible and those who benefit the most are the children.