Why I Teach

When one makes the decision to become a teacher there are usually many factors that are involved.  By identifying some of these factors such as life experiences, past experiences with educators, and personal goals I hope to form a personal educational philosophy.  In relaying my evolving educational philosophy, I hope that you will have a better understanding of the individual I am and the teacher I would like to become.

Some life and natural abilities that I was either born with or obtained include: natural leadership abilities, being adaptable, and genuine.  As the oldest child of four children I was often put in charge of my siblings when my parents were gone.  They would also leave many tasks to be completed before they came home.  I would have to delegate chores to each of my siblings and make sure they were completed before my parents arrived home or else I would be at fault. When looking back at old home videos, I am embarrassed to see my authoritative behavior towards everyone younger than I; I acted as if I were everyone’s parent. With some maturity I now understand that I can use my leadership abilities for good. Besides being a good leader, I am also extremely adaptable. As a young child I moved into a different school every year and had to adapt to a new environment, making new friends, and adjusting to different schools and teaching styles.  I didn’t appreciate it at the time but I am now extremely grateful for the lessons I learned with being flexible.  Now as a military wife I have used that adaptability in being flexible when things change on a moment’s notice. I have learned to make plans but have the ability to adjust as needed.  This quality helps with the multiple roles one plays as an educator. Eric T. Moore’s (2015) “My Educational Philosophy” article states, “I must be prepared to adopt multiple roles in the classroom (facilitator, teacher, instructor, coach, consultant, counselor, and mentor). I need to be prepared to seamlessly transition between these roles to effectively contribute to student learning.” Being genuine is also something that can help aid in a healthy and enriching learning environment. Students are smart and when one isn’t genuine trust is diminished. It’s important to always be yourself and be consistent with all you do. This helps maintain healthy relationships between students, parents, and colleagues.

While past life experiences are important in forming one’s philosophy of teaching, former teachers often leave a profound impression.  I was fortunate enough to have two great math teachers in both eighth and ninth grades.  The thing that made them different was that they both focused on the positive work that their students did. They always made sure to point out and praise good effort and mathematical progress.  I’ll never forget the evening my ninth grade teacher Mr. Randall called my home phone. He asked to speak to my parents. My mom answered the phone and I was terrified.  Upon hanging up with my teacher she explained to me that he called to tell my parents what a wonderful student I was. He praised me for my abilities to focus on the tasks in the classroom setting, he praised me for the efforts I was putting into my homework and progress that I had made.  For the first time in my school career I truly felt good about myself. I felt like anything was possible. One thing I knew for sure was that I never wanted to let Mr. Randall down. In fact, I tried even harder, took better notes, stayed more organized, showed up extra early for class. He helped me believe in myself. While it may not seem like an ethical issue maybe reporting positive feedback can help foster better relationships and learning. The “Code of Ethics for Educators” states, “The professional educator makes concerted efforts to communicate to parents all information that should be revealed in the interest of the student.” After my experience I know that it is in the “best interest of the students” to identify and report positive information to parents.

After taking Sadker’s (1997) “What is Your Philosophy of Education?” survey, I was surprised to find that my top two philosophies were nearly opposite of each other, Essentialism and Progressivism.  It is important to teach positive attributes such as, “core values of hard work, discipline, and respect for authority.” While also adapting to a philosophy of, “shared decision making about curriculum, democratic processes, and academic freedom.” I believe that by promoting both of these philosophies in the classroom it will make for strong independent learners that have the ability to converse and see both sides to every story. This type of learning environment allows for critical thinking to take place.

My philosophy of education is an evolving philosophy. It is based on experiences from the past and present.  While, also incorporating those teachers that have been a positive role model for me throughout my life. I hope to incorporate Essentialism and Progressivism into my classroom. It is my goal to help inspire students while having a positive learning experience.

References

Association of American Educators. (2018). Code of Ethics for Educators. Retrieved from  https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics.

More, E.T. (2015, August 7). My Educational Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/my-educational-philosophy/.

Sadker, M.P. & Sadker, D. S. (1997). Teachers, schools and society (4th ed., pp. 403-405.)  NY:  McGraw Hill.