Buffy Thomas

November 15, 2016

Professor Bridges

EDU 201—Tuesday

Philosophy of Education

Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kofi Annan, of Ghana said, “Knowledge is power.

Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family”

(nobelprize.org). My ambition to become an educator stems from a desire to help children grow

into productive and successful adults. I am a mother of six children. As I have guided my

individual children through the different stages of their childhood, adventures, adversities, and

educational experiences, I have come to realize that children have similar basic needs. Along

with food, water, shelter, and clothing, children have the need to be accepted, protected, nurtured,

and an innate desire for knowledge. Every child has the ability to learn and mankind can only

thrive through the power of knowledge.

I was a very shy child growing up and knowledge did not come easily. I had two

elementary teachers that made a profound impact on my education. Their kind, friendly, and

patient demeanor encouraged me when I felt inferior to all my peers. Even though my learning

came more slowly, those two teachers taught me that I did have the ability to learn. Through

many years of raising children and volunteering in their schools, I discovered that I have an

inherent ability to nurture, encourage and teach children—in the same manner in which those

two teachers touched my life. Although not a gifted learner, I made immense progress as I

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discovered different learning strategies. I then used these strategies to teach my children and

those I aided through parent volunteer service.

During my field observation hours, I had the fortune of observing two different teachers.

The learning environment they created in their classrooms were very similar. Tables were in

place, rather than desks, to create small groups. Both teachers utilized cooperative learning,

where students motivated and helped each other. I noticed that students within the group were at

different levels of learning, yet by working and helping each other as a team, they were all

engaged in the lessons. The teachers often encouraged their students to independently think

things out and discuss their thinking with their teammates, while being respectful to each other.

Both teachers had high expectations that their students would follow the rules of the classroom

and awarded team points for their success. The teachers modeled an organized, positive,

encouraging, and respectful environment. Consequently, they were able to focus their efforts on

teaching, rather than disciplining. My field observation experience demonstrated that the

learning environment I create is monumental in classroom management, the prevention of

misbehavior, and student learning.

As an educator, I have a constructivism view that, “…learning is an active, meaning-

making process, [and] that learners are not passive recipients of information” (Parkay 136). My

experience as a student who struggled, motivates my desire to focus my teaching on using

different strategies to accommodate the variety of learning styles that enable students to learn

and retain information. I will use direct teaching, to introduce new concepts and conduct

observational assessments; cooperative learning, to promote discussion and allow students to

learn from each other in small group settings; physical and mental modeling, to visually

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demonstrate and verbally think out each step of instruction; constructivist teaching, directed

towards encouraging students to draw from their own experiences to learn and cement concepts;

and informational processing, via a variety of memory techniques to aid my students in

assessments. Individuals learn and process information in various ways and at different rates.

Added to that, the United States benefits from a strong cultural diversity. Culture plays a role in

how individuals communicate and learn. Given these variables, it is essential that teachers

implement a variety of teaching and assessment strategies to accommodate the many learning

styles of their students. I will always seek out different strategies to make learning painless and

fun for each student.

Student assessments are central in the educational process. It is through assessments that

teachers can determine a student’s understanding of the curriculum taught and aid the teacher in

evaluating the teaching techniques used. However, I am not a proponent of standardized

assessments. Just as students learn differently, they also recall or demonstrate their

understanding of knowledge in different ways. The wording or process of a standardized

assessment could distort student performance, and thus the accuracy of the assessment.

Consequently, standardized assessments can skew an individual’s view of themselves as learners.

To label students as non-proficient or base graduation on how well of a standardized test taker a

student is, is discriminatory and unjust. Instead, I would prefer to conduct quantitative and

qualitative assessments using teacher created worksheets, quizzes, and formal and informal

observations. These types of assessments would more accurately reflect my students’

understanding of what I have taught, including what improvements or adjustments I need to

make in my teaching style.

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 My educational philosophy, like most teachers, is eclectic. Nonetheless, I lean more

towards Essentialism. Broadly, I believe there are basic skills and knowledge every human

needs to learn to make informed decisions, cultivate personal philosophies and belief systems,

and live prosperous lives. Further, if respect for authority, discipline, and work ethic are

neglected in our education, our democratic society will be in peril. On the other hand, I have a

postmodern view of what curricula should be taught in our schools. I agree with the postmodern

view that history, literature, and philosophy curricula are filled with a white, male perspective.

Adding the “voice” of minority groups would strengthen our educational curricula, in

conjunction with, uniting our diverse society. The modern postwar era, which triggered school

reform, began to set the stage for how I currently view schools and students. During this time,

the government was beginning to take a more essentialism philosophy of the importance of

teaching students skills “essential to adult life” (Parkay 165). Federal funding was made

available through the National Defense Education Act of 1958 and The Elementary and

Secondary Education Act of 1965, which paid for the expansion of curricula, teacher training,

and a more equal opportunity for poor students. The increased federal involvement also

extended to the desegregation of America’s schools as the government began to renounce the

“separate but equal” stance. Through these historical events, the formation of my essentialism

philosophy of education and belief of a multicultural curriculum began to take shape.

To continue on my path to become an effective teacher, I will need to be devoted,

disciplined, assertive, trustworthy, kind, patient, cheerful, considerate, cooperative, flexible,

optimistic, and possess a great sense of humor. In addition, I will need to obtain a vast

knowledge of the subjects I teach, a passion for teaching, love of learning, inclination to serve,

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self-motivation, problem solver, and peacemaker. The myriad characteristics and skills a teacher

must possess is not for the faint of heart. My journey to become a teacher began when I took my

first college courses. My goal is to obtain my bachelor’s degree in Education and become state

certified. Further, to gain additional classroom experience, I am employed as a Teaching

Assistant in the Clark County School District and volunteer my time teaching school age

children within the church I attend. My pathway to a career in Education is set and in active

motion. Knowledge has an energy all its own. As one’s stores of knowledge expand, their

possibilities of life broaden. That is the message I want to share with my students as a conduit

of knowledge—a teacher.

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 Sources

Nobelprize.org. (2016, November 12) The Official Web Site of the Nobel Prize. Kofi Annan -

Biographical. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/

2001/annan-bio.html. Web.

Parkay, Forrest W. Becoming A Teacher. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print

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