Educational Philosophies Of Education

Educational philosophies are the blood that flows through educators’ and administrators’ bodies; they are the backbones of every school. Educational philosophies are why no school or teacher is “apolitical;” they are the factors that guide every decision, determining what is important in, to, and for society, every moment. Education either shapes or re-shapes society.

Teachers have the potential to do so, too, in his or her own decisions about what kind of society he or she seeks.

I follow the path that James Baldwin paved. “It is inconceivable,” he said, “that a sovereign people should continue, as we do so abjectly, to say, ‘I can’t do anything about it. It’s the government.’ The government is the creation of the people… And the people are

36). Rather than simply reproducing ideologies for future generations, education in this kind of cultural relevance builds .

In this way children are prepared for a wide range of roles; they are given the privilege of choice. These kinds of teachers give children the skills and opportunities to make educated life decisions for themselves, while still being able to honor their cultural identities, families, and aspirations. I believe education is what each person makes it. People may choose to receive the training they are offered, in order to achieve education, or not. I will not force any student to

“become” what it is that they do not want to be. I believe education constitutes a relationship between the learner and the learned. My goal is to present all students with the options, and give them the opportunity to choose the best possible outcome for him or herself. I will achieve this goal by providing safe spaces in my classrooms for students to explore who they are, who they want to be, and why. Just as I am learning how my beliefs can adapt, change, and affect my choices, my students will learn this, too, through Critical Literacy. Both the rational