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Running Head: EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Educational Philosophy

Jason Atilano-Lopez

College of Southern Nevada

November 16, 2017

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Personal Philosophy

I am choosing to teach as my profession due to numerous reasons. One of my main

reasons for becoming a teacher is working and getting to know students. All my life I have

always gotten along with kids and I believe that the elementary school stage is extremely crucial

to molding young minds. This is especially true for those students who are extremely unfortunate

because of their household situation. I believe that teachers have the most important job in

society, which is another reason I want to teach. I want to make the biggest impact and guide

students to a more successful path. When I was in the fifth grade, I used to witness students, who

were a lot less fortunate than I was at the time, struggling with completing the fifth-grade

requirements. My teacher found a way to get all of the class involved together, unlike some

teachers, she did not reject those students who were struggling in school. What she would do,

instead, was embrace all of her students and give everyone an equal chance to learn. She inspired

me to become a teacher.

As I prepare to become a teacher, I feel like I have a few skills and certain knowledge to

manage the classroom better once I become a teacher. A skill that will be extremely helpful is

my ability to fluently speak two languages. As I was growing up, I noticed the number of

students in the classroom that were Hispanic was rapidly increasing; this became a problem for

some of my teachers because they did not speak Spanish at all. Even in my field observation the

majority of the students were Hispanic and only one African-American boy. My experience

knowledge is another tool that will also serve me as a teacher. I can connect better with students

because I know what it is like for them, and I can create different approaches to how each one of

them learns. When I went to observe a class in the field observation, the teacher demonstrated

how to better connect with the majority of the students and always used terms like, “I know how
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Running Head: EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

you guys feel,” or “I remember that.” During the observation, I also learned that as a teacher, I

cannot always be nice to the children, or they will take advantage of me. This is essential to

running the classroom, I must have control of the class.

The educational philosophy that I believe best fits me is progressivism. I believe that

education should be centered around the students. I believe that a teacher must focus more on

how the children learn, rather than focusing on the curricula that is being presented. Education

must be centered on the child so that they may progress faster in school. My psychological

orientation would be constructivism; I believe that the curricula should be presented in a way

that students are able to grasp the information and refer back to that information when they need

it.

Some of the historical events that set the stage for how I will think about children and

schools are Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Education for All Handicapped Children Act

(1975), Professionalized Teaching and Increased Teaching Salaries (1916), Funds to the Poor

and School Districts (Title 3). These historical events set the stage for how I will view children

and schools, because they give me a broader view on the whole aspect of education. I know that I

will treat all of my students equally and give all of them the same chance to learn in my

classroom. The events listed above are crucial decisions about who is receiving the education,

but they are also who is presenting the criteria. Students should have the best educators they can

receive, so that they do not fall behind in school. No matter what situation students are in, they

have the right to an education like everyone else.

There are numerous instructional strategies that I am able to implement in my classroom

once I become a teacher. One of the strategies that I will incorporate into my classroom will be

technology. In the world we live in today, technology has become a way of life for most people,
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Running Head: EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

and children are growing up with innovative technology. So, in my classroom I will provide

Power Points for the students. This will also help grab the students’ attention, by presenting

visuals while still teaching the subject that is being exhibited. I will implement a lot of group

work like science projects and even group work online using Kahoot. There will also be

handouts to the groups. In these handouts, there will be some very well constructed problems and

the objective will be for the students to make certain decisions and problem solve together as a

team. Also, games can be played to allow the students to have fun, while also going over the

materials that are required for them to learn. For example, I can bring a small rubbery ball and

throw it around the classroom, and the student who catches it, will be asked a question about the

subject we are reviewing.

As for student diversity, I will examine the several types of students in my classroom,

and I will make groups and pair up students who vary a great deal from one another. I will then

have them find similarities they both possess; this will help students feel safer in the classroom

and be more comfortable around each other, while helping to eliminate areas of prejudice and

discrimination that the students may have. As the teacher, I will make sure not to be biased

towards any certain group of students or culture. When I make my classroom library, it will

include literature of all sorts of culture, so that students can expand their knowledge even more

on diversity. Participation, classwork, and learning style will all be considered to measure the

knowledge of students individually. I will make sure to closely observe the students who struggle

and do not perform so great in class. Also, meetings with each student individually will be held

and I will attempt to get the parents involved in their child’s education, especially those students

who find it more challenging. Most importantly, it will be necessary to keep checking on student
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Running Head: EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

progress and note how much they improve in my class. I want the best for them and it is my goal

to make them become successful individuals.

In order for me to continue in this career, I need to find better skills as an individual and

lead by example. I need to further educate myself on certain subjects, that even I, at times, find

myself struggling with. I will need to develop a different attitude towards students, so that they

can know who is in charge of the classroom, and so I can gain control of my class. The art of

patience will also be a skill that I can improve to continue in this career. There are also incidents

where, as an adult, I must be the one to respond to that certain incident, so I must practice the

skill of self-control and show no signs of panic.

In order for me to achieve my goal of becoming a teacher and acquiring my teacher’s

license, I will need to get through certain requirements. First, I will need to get the education

required for a Bachelor’s degree. Also, to gain more experience in the profession, I will

volunteer in schools to get a broader perspective of how different teachers run their classroom. In

order for to me to acquire my teaching certification, I will need to pass the Praxis (series of tests

for teachers to become licensed) exams throughout my years in college. I will also need to have

mastery of content knowledge to be the best qualified teacher for the students.