Running head: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

My Philosophy of Education: to Increase and Instill a Love of Knowledge

Kristina R. Ebner
The Masters College

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I will begin my philosophy of education description by presenting the short version I

share when people ask my thoughts or my intentions for teaching. My main goal in teaching is to
develop and cultivate a love for learning in my students. I believe it is critical to gain insight into
the children that make up my class in order to develop instruction that is both engaging and
interesting to each individual. By approaching teaching from different angles, I can reach
multiple learning styles within one lesson. It is critical for both the teachers and students
success that information be taught in multiple ways.
My goal is to teach my students not only the necessary standards and information, but
how to find their own answers to questions and build knowledge in a respectful and enjoyable
environment. By cultivating their love of learning, I can help them gain awareness of elementary
subjects and see the connections within them. I believe students need to understand the way
mathematical skills, writing assignments and all other subjects of learning will be used in their
daily lives because making real-life connections creates a purpose for them to learn.
There are so many philosophies on education that over the past few centuries have
changed and molded our educational system into what it is today. Philosophers had thoughts that
changed history, some for the good and many for the bad. Our society has reached the place we
are currently because of those theories and ideas. Our world has turned away from the truth and
it seems with each passing decade people become further away from what truth actually is. They
want to live their lives however they choose with no one telling them any different. This proves
extremely difficult for teachers because we spend our days trying to educate, grow and assist the
youth of our culture. In Philosophy & Education: an Introduction in Christian Perspective by
George R. Knight, he states, Education is an important function in society, because all youth
must pass through some type of educational experience before they are ready to take over the

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societys responsible positions. The future of any society is therefore determined by its current
youth (p. 253). That is a sobering statement when we look at the youth of our society today. The
lack of order, absence of truth and many different ideologies across the globe are far from the
truths of the Bible. Coming back to my philosophy on educating those youth, the ones who have
more issues to deal with than I ever did and home lives I never dreamed of. I must remember the
foundation theyve been given. Aspects of this thinking would fit into a functionalist philosophy.
The idea that the education system in place fits into and fulfills what the society needs it to be.
However it also can be seen through the eyes of a conflict theorist who would say that the school
system is being used to control and create the type of society desired. Though very differing
outlooks in philosophy, one can look at the issues facing our schools and see some truth to both
theories of thought.
If no one invests the time to attempt to correct and change the situations facing our youth
in the current education system, there is little hope for them. Officials regularly call for school
reform, but neither side agrees on what that reform should like life and therefore change has not
occurred very quickly. While I cant literally preach the gospel in my classroom without being
fired, I can take the time to show students the reason many of their thoughts are not correct. 1
John 3:18 tells us, Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and
truth (NASV). These kids have grown up hearing all kinds of information and have had broken
promises given much too often. Parents not following through on their word, children
indoctrinated with the belief that if theyre a good person theyll be fine in life, or that simply
finishing ahead of the last guy is enough. Many of our youth have been shown that meritocracy
is acceptable or the other side that working your life away and neglecting your family is

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necessary. Need to find and achieve the American dream. All of those things will only lead
them down a sad path to disappointed and regret at the end of their lives.
If I keep my word to my class and show my students through action that they matter and
I care about them I pray they will have a chance. Though centuries of men, philosophers and
others, not adhering to truth have brought us to the place we are today, I believe we can give
them hope in spite of the lack of reverence for truth in our society. My hope is that presenting
them with an adult example who cares, keeps my word and apologizes for my wrong doing can
show them Christ without any words.
One of the simplest ways I can describe my philosophy in my classroom with my
students is found in 1 Corinthians13:4-7. The scripture says Love is patient, love is kind and is
not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek
its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in
unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all thing (NASV). This passage is my reminder on days when I dont feel like being
kind, it is my belief when students push back and push back and try to fight my love toward
them, and it is my prayer when speaking with fellow teachers, administrators or parents. I pray
my love for my students shows through my teaching and my preparation. I also pray that when
things go well, or recognition is given, that my colleagues will see humility and not pride.
Looking at my original sentences about my philosophy, I believe one critical way I can
change not only the minds of my students, but also their hearts is by getting to know them.
Children long to be loved and validated. Many of the students I work with greatly lack love, and
especially unconditional love from home. I started the year off by telling them no matter how the
year went, no matter what they accomplish, Im beyond thankful I get to spend the year with

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them and that I care about them already. Several of the boys (which I found out later are
constantly in trouble) said they were sure my mind would be changed by the end of the year. I
chose to pray extra for them, not only for those boys personally, but also for my heart and words
when helping them. Two did prove to be extremely difficult and tried everything to push me
away. I began to question whether my philosophy that all children can be won over with love and
devotion was actually true in this community. However, the Lord proved faithful because those
two boys were the last to leave my classroom this June, the most inquisitive about whether I
would be back and were overheard telling my principal that she had to make sure I had a job next
year (my position was temporary). I dont share this information pridefully, or mean to come
across as a person without daily struggles. There were days it was all I could do to make it
through without expressing great anger, but I share this situation to show how my theory that all
children respond to love and discipline has some fact behind it. I did have days when I didnt do
a great job of remaining calm or I brought stress from outside school with me, but I made it a
point to always apologize if we had a bad day due to my attitude. Often times I dont think they
really knew what to do with my apology though. Had the outcome of this situation been different
I would have had to evaluate my thought behind this philosophy. I still believe scripture is never
wrong and therefore I need to express love, but I may have looked for other strategies as well to
include in my goal of helping this group of boys as well as my class as a whole.
My philosophy was tested and became stronger because of the outcome I was able to see
unfold. The things I learned about those boys during lunch detention, losses of recess or just
through daily sharing helped me learn about what they enjoyed. Knowing what my students are
interested in makes it easier for me to develop lessons and activities that they will enjoy. We
created math fluency rewards based on favorite games. We used football and soccer to teach

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mathematics and make them meaningful. And we created art about what they wanted to be or
how they saw themselves as grown-ups. Those assignments provided even more insight into their
character and what makes them who they are which I then used to create future lessons that they
would find engaging and fun.
Those lesson examples lead me into the next phase of my philosophy on education. Just
as each of us is special in the eyes of the Lord, students all learn in different ways and through
various practices. I do not believe there is one end all perfect way to teach any one concept. A
teacher must find what works for their class, their students and their learning styles.
In Romans 12, verses 4-8, it talks about the body having many parts just as the church
has many people to complete the work. Each of the parts of your body does something different;
the members of a church each have many different talents that others may not have, but together
both the body and a healthy church function smoothly. I believe the same is true in education in
regards to children and the way they learn. No child is created with the same mind and therefore
no child is going to learn or do something the same way as every other student in your class.
Based on those facts, I believe it is vital to the success of my students that a teacher uses varying
instruction tasks in the classroom to ensure all students have the best chance of grasping the
concept.
My philosophy of education has a great deal of influence from the theories of Howard
Gardner and learning through the different multiple intelligences. I believe another way my
pedagogy can be strengthened is to approach each lesson with tasks that cover all three major
learning styles. I am not even slightly an auditory learner; I have to picture where a professor
was in a room when lecturing or where an answer was on the page in a book in order to
remember it for tests or assignment. If I create something, or put together a project in a 2-D

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form, but Im the one that created it, I will mostly likely remember most of what is on it.
However, if someone simply tells me an answer verbally I will not be able to tell it back to you.
Learning these things about myself and then further researching them with my five younger
siblings made me a believer in many of the theories about learning styles and different
intelligences. Teaching for a few years and analyzing student growth and ability based on what I
learned about their preferred learning style made the theories fact for me personally.
I make it a mission each year to learn my students preferred instruction style, help them
cultivate that strength, and also work on their weakest areas of learning. Presenting instruction on
standards from various approaches guarantees I give my students the greatest chance of meeting
that standard at the end of our lesson or unit. Learning styles and knowing your strengths for
learning is something I am very passionate about and one of the pillars to my philosophy of
education.
Another pillar to my philosophy is the need to teach children how to learn. This is
something I have spent a great deal of time and effort on because all too often I have a very hard
time waiting for them to find the answer or where to find one. I would catch myself telling them
where to look, giving them an answer in different words or assuming they knew something when
they didnt. In the book Ideas have Consequences, Weaver (1948) shares the idea that our society
is like a spoiled child in its incapacity to think (p. 127). This statement is sadly true even more
so today. My realization that I was only aiding in that statement until I began to work on this area
of my teaching was unsettling. The point of going to school is to be educated. This means I as a
teacher have to work against society if need be, home life if its an issue, and whatever else
children bring to school with them and instruct them on how to learn. I must teach them the skills
to find an answer and where to look when they dont know how to find it, especially in the ever

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changing world of technology. We have more knowledge at our fingertips than we know what to
do with. We must show them how all that information can be uncovered and discern what is of
value and how to answer all that they desire to know and learn.
The last part of my initial statements on my philosophy of education ties into which
traditional philosophical way of thinking I embody. I would easily say I am a realist and
therefore the ideas surrounding the philosophies of realism definitely describe my teaching best.
Knight (2006) describes the realist in education as some who utilizes the inductive method in
investigating the natural world and in arriving at general principles from observations. The realist
seeks to discover how the world works by examining it (p. 51). This philosophy fits exactly
with my line of thinking regarding learning styles and multiple instruction pieces to help create
enduring understanding. Students need to touch it, examine it and make use of whatever is in the
standards in order remember that information and be able to build on it further. Knight also states
If truth is gained through sensory perception, then learning experiences should be organized, to
a large extent, in a manner that utilizes the senses (p. 53). The philosophers he discusses
following that quote were all thinkers who came up with using objects, manipulatives and visual
representations to help make learning real and lasting. If students can see the reason for what
theyre doing or better yet learn about it in the way its used in our culture of society they will
have a much better chance of committing that information to long term memory.
Those things align perfectly with my philosophy that children need to see meaning
behind what theyre learning and have real world applications. The introduction and adoption of
the new Common Core standards have taken those ideas one step further. Not only do students
need to see the why for what theyre doing, they also need to be able to see how it connects
with other areas of learning. Real world examples for reading, writing and math are the best way

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for children to understand the purpose for what theyre being asked to do. Without purpose it is
so easy to lose all motivation to work towards the goal. Some of the greatest lessons Ive taught
involved tasks that required us to measure ingredients for a recipe in math or write a speech
about why our school needed new kick balls, or even create slogans for our school presidential
campaign. These things could be easily linked to real world examples and students loves learning
the tools and steps required to complete the tasks.
The philosophical idea of realism also fits into my ideology because the root word is
real. I strive for my teaching and the environment in my classroom to be real. I want to be real
and honest with my students and their parents. I want the work we do to be real and connected to
the ways they will really use that information. I also want them to grasp reality. You are not
always going to be the smartest one in class necessarily; you may have to wait quietly for others
to finish things in real life, you have to wait your turn for things like books, the bathroom or your
lunch. I realize those are simplistic and apply to the younger students, but they are life lessons.
My goal is that my students not only learn the standards necessary to meet their benchmarks in
their grade, but that they will look back one day and see habits they formed in our class that have
made them more successful in life. As educators we arent only teaching them state standards or
Common Core standards, we are teaching them about life and life is hard! Life doesnt cut you
any slack and life holds you accountable. The sooner my students can learn those lessons the
easier life will be.
My philosophy of realism ultimately is Theistic Realism because of my relationship with
Christ. According to Gutek, Theism, belief in the existence of God as the supernatural Creator
of the universe and the beings within it, and to Realism, the philosophical belief in an external, or
objective order of reality governed by natural laws and recurrent patterns of regularity (p. 54).

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As I said earlier, while I may not be able to explicitly tell students about my relationship with my
Savior, I can live my beliefs in front of them. I can help them see someone who apologizes when
theyre wrong, loves them even when theyre awful in my class and ultimately just wants whats
best for them. If I can live out those truths, then maybe they will ask questions and one day come
to know the Savior as well. I want to teach them to question what theyre learning and seek
answers for themselves in search of truth.
In the end, that is my reason for teaching. To use the talents and abilities the Lord has
given me for His glory and to bring honor to Him. Therefore, if I can fulfill my philosophy on
education and use my talents to show love for my class and instill in them a need for truth and
knowledge I will have ultimately fulfilled what I know I was called to do.

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References

Gardner, Howard. (2011). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic
Books Publishing.
Gutek, Gerald L. (2004). Philosophical and ideological voices in education. Boston: Pearson
Education, INC.
Knight, George R. (2006). Philosophy & education: An introduction in christian perspective.
Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press.
MacArthur, John. (2010). The macarthur study bible: New american standard version. Nashville:
Thomas Nelson Publishing.
Weaver, Richard M. (1948). Ideas have consequences. Chicago: The University of Chicago
press.