Education Philosophy Statement

Education Philosophy Statement

As a sophomore, I was required to compile a genre of educational philosophies and create my own philosophy in the process. Today, as a senior I am required to “revise” that statement into one that is sophisticated and intelligent based on new information that I have received in the last two years. One instructor said to me, “Your view on educational elements may have changed,” and another said, “Randy, your philosophy on the way you view yourself as a teacher and the view of your classroom may have evolved into a more manageable, realistic perspective,” and they were both right.

In the first draft of my philosophy, it states that I see myself as a teacher with an “eclectic” view on teaching children. Although I still believe in my “eclectic” ways because it gives the students and me a variety of ways to learn, it has “evolved” into a more specific, eclectic philosophy. For example, I stated that in my classroom the children would be involved with as much of the classroom decisions as possible. In contrast, I now believe that the instructor is the primary decision-maker allowing the students to give their input on certain situations and keeping their concerns in mind when making the final decision. Why do I feel that way now? I have observed two different schools and two different grade levels – an 8th grade classroom and a 12th grade classroom. What works in at one level does not work at the other, meaning, observing a teacher who incorporated the student government, so to speak, in her classroom did not always succeed in getting anywhere in the end. I have learned that the students are not as diplomatic as I once believed, followed by the fact that the students do not always know what they want or what is the best for them as a class.

While I am on the subject of observing classrooms, another area of my philosophy that I now view with a sophisticated, intelligent insight is extra-curricular activities.