Teaching Philosophies
When everyone always asked the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? I replied; I want to be a teacher. I said this because teaching was the only occupation that was familiar to me. Now, when people ask me that question I answer, I am striving to become an art educator, not because it is familiar, but because of the difference I could make. The greatest rewards of being and educator are those that are intrinsic. What I enjoy the most about teaching someone something new, even now, is the look on their face after they have mastered the technique. Being and art teacher makes this reward a common one, because of the variety of media one works with. Although this, and other reactions are common, I will never get sick of their repetition, or the content area that I am teaching.
I would use an eclectic approach to my teaching philosophy. It would be composed of the popular method of pragmatism, mixed with idealism. I believe that all students should have the right to make positive contributions to the class and society, and that learning should be both a group and an individual activity. I personally feel that one of my jobs as a teacher, is to act as a mentor to students, and lead by example. I enjoy teaching, and am knowledgeable in the content area that I am responsible for. I feel that students would enjoy learning the history, theories, and techniques of art when I present the material to them. I am a firm believer in Plato’s theory “Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” If a child is putting forth maximum effort, I find no reason to enforce faster working habits negatively upon them. Children with slower working speeds should be encouraged, and nurtured, while being worked with on a one to one basis occasionally.
My ideal classroom would have large tables arranged in several horseshoe or incomplete circles. This would give the students a maximum area to work, and myself a place to stand and give advice and directions. The ceramics section would be in the back corner of the room to prevent clay dust on everything. My bulletin boards would be decorated with famous works of artists of the past. One would be reserved for especially for an assignment outline for each media the class would cover.
The appearance of the classroom has a big effect on how smoothly the class will go. The seating arrangement in my classroom will be in a U shape. It will be better with classroom discussion to have the students facing each other. This type of seating arrangement should relax the children and make them feel more comfortable. On the bulletin boards there will be pictures of the students while involved in class activities and students work as a reward for doing well on an assignment. Also on the walls there will be posters to inspire the students.
Although I know I want to teach there is more to the teaching profession than that. First, I have to learn the curriculum and then how to bring that material across to the students. The actual learning process comes naturally for me, but I had to stop and think about how I would bring it across once I become a teacher. This involves many aspects of my life and what I feel is important. I feel ones teaching philosophy pulls from every portion of an individuals belief system. These can include your moral and ethical beliefs, your personality, and also what you, as a teacher, feel is important for the students to learn. To me this seems to be a very big responsibility, so when I started considering my teaching philosophy, I did not take the task lightly. It seems to me that there is a very thin line between fulfilling your own expectations as a teacher, and giving the children what they need and even what they want.
I feel that in order for students to prosper they must be comfortable with their learning environment. I plan to have an well-organized classroom with various bulletin boards highlighting current chapters of study, as well as announcements and assignments. I also believe that you must keep students both interested and involved to achieve successful learning. Desks in my classroom will be organized in one large “U” formation facing my desk in the front to create a feeling of unity and coherence. To further promote this goal I will assign a seating chart (possibly alphabetically) to aid in the diffusion of cliques and to avoid exclusion of these who may have the tendency to be isolated. Individual and group projects will be incorporated into my curriculum to provide students the opportunity to work both independently, as well as a team member.
As for my classroom, it would probably be very busy in regards to appearance and activity. I think surrounding the students with pictures and things of that sort related to class is very conducive to a positive educational environment. I would somewhere have a student prepared locations where students are responsible for researching and displaying a topic probably after presenting it to the class.
Educational Philosophies Many different ideas of the correct educational philosophy exist. Highly acclaimed psychologists and educators developed these varying philosophies. Each of these philosophies have their strengths and weaknesses and have their positives and negatives in different situations. It is our job as educators to sift through this list of philosophies to find our own style and philosophy.
My classroom will be a place to learn and a place to develop social skills. It will include brightly colored and informational bulletin boards and seating that will depend on the classroom activity at the time. There will hopefully be at least three computers in the classroom and lots of resource and research materials available not only for me, the teacher, but also for the students. Throughout the school year projects will be assigned that will be relevant to the topic being studied at that time. As the school year progresses, projects will also be displayed around the room. Hopefully these will serve to inspire the students to learn and research new ideas on their own.
Becoming a teacher was not something I always knew I wanted. As I approached an age where I really started considering what I would like to do for a career I only knew that I did not want to work in an office behind a desk all day. I wanted a job that would be interactive, challenging and exciting. I also knew I wanted a job that would be important and would somehow contribute to the world in an important way. I thought being a teacher; particularly a teacher in the primary levels would fulfill those hopes and goals assuming I dedicate myself to becoming an effective teacher who has a positive influence on the lives of my students.
Ralph W. Tyler, an influential figure in early twentieth century educational reform believed that “the purpose of life was learning.” He said, “When one ceases to learn, one ceases to live life to the fullest. The biological basis of man has changed little since the cave days. However, each generation creates new ideas and elaborates on those ideas which have previously existed.” With education, ideals set forth from a society or culture can be preserved and create a powerful generativity of knowledge, linking the past with the present while ensuring future posterity.
Through my own experiences, and as enforced by others' opinions in the profession, I have found that teaching is one of the most rewarding careers. Not only are you placed in the position of instructing and guiding children and young adults through the life long learning process, but you are able to give back to the schools and communities which have supported your early education and experiences that opened you up to a bright future. In becoming an educator, I hope to someday share the knowledge and lend the helping, supportive hand that I was once given, allowing students to formulate their own perspectives of the multicultural society and world around them. Teaching is a career I have been interested in pursuing throughout high school, and as my experiences and study in the field expands, I feel that my desire to teach will grow stronger and develop more soundly.
Becoming a teacher has been the ultimate aspiration for myself since the first day I walked into kindergarten. As a very timid student, it was a difficult task transitioning from being with my mother everyday, to being part of a classroom environment full of strangers. However, my kindergarten teacher helped me through this transition smoothly, and adequately. I very quickly learned to love school. Soon after, I knew I would aspire to become a teacher. I would spend countless hours at home with a blackboard, acting as a teacher to my imaginary students throughout my elementary school years.
As a teacher, I would strive for a classroom that would be conducive to learning. I feel that linear seating allows for more structure in the classroom. However, interest should be stimulated by the display of attractive bulletin boards that are pertinent to the material being taught. The use of supplemental materials such as videos and computers are a must in educational programs. In today`s society everything moves rather quickly and the future generations must be able to keep pace. The world is at our fingertips through these devices. I would also assign projects to reinforce learning. This, of course, would depend on the ability of the groups being taught.
I have not always wanted to be a teacher. I always knew that I wanted to work with children in some way, but I was pretty sure that teaching was not for me. I was well on my way in my junior year of college working toward a biology degree so that I could become a pediatric physician’s assistant. I still cannot explain what happened, but one week I was a biology major, and the next I knew that I have always been meant to teach children. I suppose I just took the longer route to get there than most people do. The two main reasons that I have chosen to become a teacher is that I believe that teaching is extremely personally rewarding in many ways and the fact that I can actively make a difference in someone’s life.
Teaching has always been a dream of mine ever since I was a little girl. I have had multiple teachers who have impacted my life in many ways, but the one teacher who has inspired me to pursue a career in the education field as a teacher would be my math teacher that I have this year. She inspires me every day and is truly my role model. I look up to her on a daily basis, and I aspire to become a teacher because of her and how she has changed my life for the better have always appreciated the hard work that teachers do on a daily basis, and I always have appreciated the fact that they take time out of their day to teach their students valuable skills that the students may utilize in the future. I aspire to become a teacher in the future and hopefully make a difference in students’ lives. Teachers are more than just people who educate students, they are people who continue to make a difference in my life and teach me the value of hard work every day. I know that I really want to pursue a career in the education field as a teacher because I want to help people and share my love of learning with my future students. I also want to become a teacher because I would like to give back to the amazing teachers that I have this year and take what they have taught me and instill that in my future classroom. I realize that teaching is a lot of hard work, but I am willing to give one hundred percent effort on a daily basis so that students can receive a great education that they deserve.
When I think of becoming a teacher I would like to imagine or hope that I would be “turning the key” for a student of mine to become something great. I have been soul searching for many years now to have a better understanding of what I am suppose to do in my life. I have worked in so many jobs in so many areas but nothing was fulfilling my life with any amount of meaning. I found myself not wanting to go back the next day or wishing I were somewhere else. Well I guess everyone does that is what I would tell myself.
I am so excited about one day teaching our children. My goal is to be a positive influence on a child and I cannot imagine anything more important to do with my life than helping children. A quote from Herbert Kohl sums up my feelings of becoming an educator: “I believe the impulse to teach is fundamentally altruistic and represents a desire to share what you value and to empower others. I am not talking about the job of teaching so much as the calling to teach. Most teachers I know have felt that calling at some time in their lives.” My dream is to someday soon fulfill my calling.