Philosophy of Education: My philosophy of education is based on teaching the whole child.

I believe that in order to educate children we must reach them on multiple levels. Pride, confidence, resilience, respect, empathy, and initiative are key characteristic of motivated learners. In order to nurture these traits in children we must educate the whole child. Students do not learn to be respectful simply by teaching them character traits. They learn respect by first discovering what it means to them, and then relating that to what it means to others. I believe that education is not simply teaching from a book, but it is opening the minds and hearts of our students through self- discovery and awareness. It takes the combined efforts of schools, parents, and the community to come together to teach the whole child, and teaching the whole child begins with teaching the child who he or she is, truthfully. In my philosophy of teaching the whole child, I feel as Freire did that my work must be to develop a critical consciousness of the school in which I work (Gutek 2011). If I want to raise the consciousness of my students I will first have to understand the social, economic, and political conditions under which my students live (Gutek 2011). I believe that when students truly understand the conditions that they live in and the conditions of all people in in the world, they can begin to think critically about their future and the future of their families. Teaching the whole child consists of reaching out to their families as well. There is a greater value attained when we reach out to the families of our students. Research consistency shown that when parents are involved in their childs education students tend to perform better than their peers that do not have the similar parental involvement. Parents and schools must unite. It takes the dual efforts of schools and parents to positively impact a childs life. Children should feel that they have support at school and at home. Nurturing, stability, and support from home and school are essential to teaching the whole student. When students know that the expectations for school are reiterated at school there is stability. When the nurturing that takes place at home is continued in school students know that they are supported What is the measure of a successful school, or a successful child? Is a successful school measured in a test score? Is making AYP the ultimate goal of my philosophy of teaching the whole child? No. The philosophy of teaching the whole child is to enlighten the child, and to strengthen the family. It is to instill in the child confidence and character so that no challenge is too difficult for them to overcome. My philosophy is based on the notion that as educators we are to bring out the greatness in every child whether they pass a test or not. But if we can get the to see that they are great, they can learn.