Philosophy of Education

Students need to be properly prepared for the world they will face after high school
graduation, whether they are heading off to college or straight into the workforce. The purpose of
a high school education is to help students learn to think critically about the situations they will
face as they become functioning members of society. They need to take the lessons they learned
in all of their classes and apply them to the real life lessons that they encounter as they move
through the next steps of their lives. It is up to us as the teachers that guide them to insure they
are as well prepared as possible.
Students that are successful in the classes that I share with them will be able to look at
situations critically, pick out the major parts of the situation, and devise strategies to overcome
the parts of the situations that pertain to them and help others with the other portions of the
situations in a genuine teamwork fashion. Success will be measured not by grades but by
conferences between the students and myself to decide whether the lesson was completed to the
best of their abilities and as completely as possible. We will decide together if they truly did
their best work and that will be reflected in the Grades. This presents a learning experience in
not only learning the material, but also reflection on both of our parts in respect to effort and
product.
The students will be responsible for coming into class prepared and ready to learn. I will
issue a list of supplies that I expect them to have available each day and this will be gone over
several times at the beginning of the trimester so they know what my expectations are for their
preparedness each day. Another responsibility that falls to the student is to come into class ready
to learn and participate in the days material. They will also be expected to work with me on

their goals and assessments until they are satisfied with their end product and I am satisfied they
have learned the material. I dont want students who come into class, write down rote material
on a test, and then promptly forget as soon as they receive a grade.
My responsibilities as the facilitator for learning are to come in every day with
enthusiasm, not just for the subject I am teaching, but also for the students I encounter every day.
I must practice reflection in every part of my teaching in order to make myself the best I can be
for the students I am entrusted to teach. I want to be an open door teacher who forms a
partnership with my students and their parents or guardians. I want the adults involved in my
students lives to feel comfortable coming to me with any situations, even if the parents dont
understand the material the students are being asked to learn. I want to work with everyone
involved to make sure expectations are met and the students needs are addressed. I am the
gateway to the school system that I represent and I will act in a professional and gracious manner
toward my employer and fellow employees. We are a team and I will act as a valued member of
that team every day and in every way. I must also admit that I dont know it all and be willing to
ask for help when I come across situations that I am ill prepared to handle. This is another way
to become a lifelong learner myself.
As an employee of the district I work for and as an educator of the future leaders of the
community it is my responsibility to make sure that the community that funds our school system
has access to my classroom and that the students are a vital part of the community they live in. I
will take them into the community on field trips and learning extensions as the curriculum allows
and I will encourage my students to take part in their community through volunteer opportunities
and service learning projects. I would like the community to feel like they belong to the school
and the students feel like they are a part of the community.

My role as an educator in renewal and reform is a very important one and I dont take
that responsibility lightly. I can take part in building committees and extra-curricular activities
that help the students enrich their school experience and broaden their horizons. I can continue
my education through Masters level classes and continuing education opportunities that are
offered by my district. I can also continually lobby my local, state, and federal governments and
school boards to change funding schemes, implement new curriculum, and add rules that make
my students feel safe and well taken care of while they are learning.
The ideal curriculum is one that builds skills like block towers, starting at Kindergarten
with early learning basics and adding in more challenging skills as the grades go up. It is
differentiated for every level of learner and it is interactive and adjustable so it is adaptable when
learners or society changes. It is also valid to the skills that students need to master to be
successful after their school career is over. Ideally, it would be generated by faculty in the
district it will be taught in, and parents, community members, and the learners themselves would
help design the lessons that will be taught and the outcomes to be reached. This curriculum will
be in line with standards that would be in place nationally so that if a student moves from one
place to another, they would be able to pick up where they left off. The curriculum would take
into consideration the physical and mental maturation of the learners that will be tackling it and it
will be set up to be achievable with a proper amount of effort on the part of the teachers and
learners.
I see myself being most effective with instructional methods that follow the essentialism
and progressivism models. I like interacting with students directly and not standing up front of
the class and lecturing from the book while they take notes. I would rather involve multisensory
learning that the students feel they have a stake in and I feel they will be more willing to put in

the work needed to achieve the shared vision of the class and the vision that the student and I
have set up together as part of their personal learning goals. I like to integrate technology,
current events, speakers, outside learning opportunities, and community involvement to keep the
students focused on their success and well as their place as citizens of the world.
The learning environment that I intend to foster is one where learners feel safe to ask
questions, pose ideas and solutions, and offer their help to their fellow learners without fear of
judgment or belittling comments being offered. I expect the environment to be stimulating but
not chaotic, busy but controlled, and unexpected as well comfortable. I want to have a balance
between the students knowing what to expect and having glasses of water poured on their desks
or Adverb Man jump into a ceiling tile and become an Adjective Man by modifying it! I
will use music, color, scents, and textures to stimulate all the senses and awaken the possibilities
for all the learners in the room.
My goal is to be the excellent teacher who doesnt necessarily get written up in the paper,
or writes books, or gets honored with teacher of the year. My success as a teacher will come in
hugs, and thank yous, and the occasional letter that comes from a graduate that tells me I
taught them something they used later on. I want to be the teacher that parents request, other
teachers want to work with, administrators count on, and the students and community value. I
wont make millions, but I will touch lives. What could be more important than that?