Educational Goals and Philosophy

Educational Goals and Philosophies My life has been greatly influenced by family members who are educators: my mother is a third grade teacher, my father an elementary school principal, my sister a high school English teacher, and my brother who obtains a degree in agricultural education. This has instilled in me the desire to become, like them, a good educator but is defiantly not the only reason for my decision to peruse teaching as an occupation. There are several reasons why I have chose to teach, but three in particular: to make a difference in anyone’s life that I can, help a child who is struggling more than just academically, and simply because teaching remains all I have ever wanted to do since I was just a little girl. The area of education that I wish to pursue is that of English education, while also possibly becoming certified in special education. After completing my four year bachelor degree I would like to eventually receive a masters degree in either administration or special education. In pursuing these goals, above all I hope to become an influencing factor in the lives of the children who are indeed the future. But how do I go about accomplishing this? What truly makes an influential and successful teacher? I have come to the realization that in order for me to truly become a good teacher, I must extend the desires that I possess and include a plethora of ideals and values. Thus, my philosophy of education came into existence, pulling from each of the five main philosophies; essentialism, progressivism, perennialism, existentialism, and behaviorism, forming an eclectic one. To an extensive degree, I would say that I am a strong activist as an essentialist. I believe in... ... middle of paper ... ...ecessity. Behavior should, and in my classroom, will be monitored to a degree in which a student will know what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior and will abide by these terms. In my classroom good behavior will be acknowledged and promoted while bad behavior will be condemned and discouraged. In conclusion, I hope to become the kind of teacher I would desire to educate me. In an attempt to do so, I will teach according to the eclectic philosophical approach I have stated while still remaining open minded to other approaches. Not every student learns the same way; therefore, only one philosophy can not be applied to an academically diverse classroom. The great philosopher Aristotle supports my eclectic philosophy by stating "Men do not all prize most highly the same virtue, so naturally they differ also about the proper training for it".