Philosophy of Education

Emily Swope
In Hamlet, Shakespeare wrote, this above all, to thine own self be true. Few
things are more important to teaching. A teacher must be genuine and authentic when
teaching or their students will quickly catch on. More importantly, teachers need to be
true to their own educational philosophy. While we as teachers sometimes need to do
things we dislike or disagree with, we should teach as much as we can according to our
own philosophy of the purposes, methods, and goals of education this will make our
teaching more genuine, inspired, and effective.
In light of the battery of standardized tests students currently subjected to many
people have questioned the true purpose and goal of education. I do believe that one of
educations main purposes should be teaching students facts, so that they can be educated
citizens as well as have a common knowledge base from which to view the world.
However, I believe the most important purpose of education is to prepare students for the
future and life in the real world. School should be a place for students to explore and
discover their interests because I was able to do this in high school is the reason I am at
JMU pursuing a music education major. I also believe education should be designed to
help students grow as people, not just as fact memorizers and test takers. Instead school
should be about encouraging students to grow and mature, explore their strengths,
overcome their weaknesses, and build self-confidence and self-esteem. I believe the huge
emphasis on standardized testing and competing with other countries has caused us to
lose sight of the most important part of education the students.
Perhaps it is because of the nature of the subject I want to teach, but I am on the
student-centered end of the scale. Teachers are important, of course, but even if a teacher

knows everything about a topic, but the students are unwilling to learn, they wont learn.
A teacher should help the students explore the parts of a topic they find interesting and
act as a facilitator, working with the students instead of talking at them. Due to this belief,
I would call myself progressive, followed by social reconstructivist. I call myself social
reconstructivist in addition to progressive because Im very passionate about making the
world a better place and I believe school is the opportune place to begin that process. We
shouldnt expect our students to solve the worlds problems, but if we begin educating
them about the worlds problems like harmful biases and societal ills, students can begin
working to improve the world in their own lives.
Progressivism was primarily the work of John Dewey, although many others were
involved. Dewey wrote several books on the topic of educational theory and reform,
including The School and Society. Dewey believed that school was a cornerstone of
democracy, referring to schools as little democrac[ies] (Progressive Education). The
focus on democracy is what led to the major pedagogical shift from teacher-centered to
student-centered. The philosophy of progressivism was also built on the writings of many
other thinkers, most notably Friedrich Froebel and Johann Pestalozzi. These men were
the first to say education should teach the whole child, moving beyond subject matter
to work with the students needs and interests. At the time, this was radical, although
today it is one of the most popular and common educational philosophies.
The dominant beliefs about the purposes of education are reflected in the
curriculum the state sets. Curricula are primarily lists of facts and concepts that students
should learn, reflecting the dominant essentialist philosophy in many education officials.
Many people are pushing for updated and changed curricula, which will hopefully reflect

the growing call for less test-focused education. Curricula are chosen by officials at the
state level, although I believe teachers should have flexibility to add or remove (mostly
add) small amounts of material, as the teacher knows their students needs and abilities
best. Suppose, for example, that a teacher is trying to match the SOLs for intermediate
high school band these standards include ten major scales and two minor scales.
However, say this teachers band is struggling with the more challenging major scales
should the teacher be required to add another concept (minor scales) to what theyre
teaching, rather than focus on helping the students improve at the material theyre
struggling with? I dont believe so. However, if that same class knows all twelve of the
scales they are expected to know, should the teacher have to hold them back or be
allowed to add the remaining major and minor scales? For music, I believe that scales
should be a major part of the curriculum. I also believe basic music theory should be
taught, so students can have a better understanding of the music they play. Also, music
from multiple time periods and especially other cultures should be required so that
students are exposed to a variety of music. Students should also be taught how to write
small compositions to help them understand how music theory applies to actual music.
I believe that most of the skills that should be encouraged in curricula are not
subject matter related. Instead, I believe personality traits that we look for in successful
adults should be encouraged in the classroom. Traits like creativity, teamwork,
leadership, self-discipline, compassion, and a strong work ethic can help students become
better, more rounded people. Yet for some reason, we dont do enough in our classrooms
to encourage traits like these, focusing instead on subject matter for tests.

Another subject I feel schools should focus more time and resources on is how to
best address diverse students, especially students with special needs and English language
learners. Both groups require accommodation in regular classrooms, but this can be
fairly easily done and offer many benefits to the students. There are four considerations to
keep in mind for students with special needs: close supervision/ monitoring, classroom
rules, opportunities to respond, and contingent praise (qtd. in Hammel & Hourigan 97).
Its helpful for special needs students to be close to the teacher so they learn proper
behavior. Its also helpful to work with the whole class to develop classroom rules, taking
students IEPs into account. This allows students to be involved without holding them to
standards they cant reach. Teachers of students with special needs and English language
learners should use a variety of teaching methods to ensure all students can learn to the
best of their ability particularly using the three major learning styles (i.e. auditory). For
English language learners, it is important to allow plenty of wait time and use visual cues
(Christy) teachers need to accommodate the extra time and thought needed to process a
new language without treating English language learners as if they are unintelligent.
Finally, regular praise for appropriate behavior and work is important to all students.
Todays focus on preparing students for standardized test and using test results
evaluate teacher quality places most of the responsibility for student learning on the
teacher. However, I believe the primary responsibility for education should be on the
students, who hold primary control over whether they truly learn the material. I believe
the teachers role is more of a guide or facilitator they can introduce topics to students
and help them explore and understand the material. If a student is struggling, the teacher
can help them find a way to approach and understand the topic that works for the student.

A teacher who is unwilling or unable to work with his or her struggling students is not a
good teacher. For example: in high school, I had a horrible biology teacher who only
taught one way. I struggled immensely with that class, as I couldnt grasp most of the
concepts with the way she taught. I asked for help and didnt really get it. Instead of
accepting failure because of her failure to teach well, I went to a family friend (who was a
chemistry teacher) and she helped me. She had many ways to approach the material to
help me learn, but she let me do the majority of the learning and exploring. I could have
let myself fail because of my teacher, but I chose to take responsibility for my learning.
On the other end of the spectrum, Ive seen plenty of teachers who are fantastic but
have students that are unwilling to learn. I had a fantastic chemistry teacher for two years
in high school. She was more than willing to work with students outside of class and used
a variety of ways to teach us. However, there were some students in my class who were
unwilling to do the hard work for class and did very poorly despite her best efforts.
Another important part of being a responsible student and learner is behaving
appropriately in school and interacting appropriately with ones peers. The most
important part of students interacting with their peers is respect. For example, when peers
are talking in class students should be quiet and attentive; when giving feedback, they
should be constructive instead of harsh; they should respect each others personal space,
belongings, and feelings; and they should be friendly and inclusive to all.
Perhaps more important than a students interaction with their peers is their
interaction with their teachers and administrators. Once again, the most important
element is respect. Students should also respect the teachers classroom and belongings,
but most importantly time. They should respect the teachers rules in the classroom, as

well as the administrators rules in the school. There should also be an element of trust in
the relationship if a student is struggling in the class, they should trust their teacher
enough to feel comfortable asking for extra help, or if they are having problems (for
example, being bullied), they should trust the administration to pursue a solution.
Of course, teachers and administrators must also respect students. Teachers respect
their students by being professional and organized at all times, showing they have
prepared for the class the way they expect their students to. The classroom should be neat
and organized so that there is nothing to distract students. I want my classroom to be very
flexible and easy to change so that I can best meet my students needs; for example, I can
rehearse in a circle so students can see each other, instead of a traditional setting. I also
want to have posters up in my classroom to be decorative and informative posters about
musicians, music theory, rudiments, and class projects. Essentially I want my classroom
to be what I didnt have as a student: clean, professional, welcoming, and effective.
My previous point begs the question what makes a classroom effective?
Researchers have identified a set of five factors that are common across Americas most
effective schools (Sadker & Zittleman, 2012), and I believe three are the most important
strong leadership, a safe and orderly climate, and high expectations. A teacher should
let their class have a certain amount of freedom and creativity. However, a teacher must
also have a strong presence to give the class a sense of direction and a clear enough
vision for the class to teach the material in an organized, efficient way. Safety is also
important, but often overlooked. Many students in todays society dont have safe, stable,
or loving homes, and so teachers should do their best to create that environment in
school. If a student is taught by a teacher who they believe truly cares about them, it is

highly likely that they will work harder for that teacher. Of course, a teacher needs to
push their students to work harder the most effective classrooms have very high
expectations. Ive been in classrooms that had low expectations and I wasnt been
motivated to work hard or try at all. However, in classes where the teacher demanded a
lot from me, classes where I had to work very, very hard to get a good grade, I learned so
much more. Those teachers had to be more effective teachers because they expected us to
know so much more, so they had to teach that much more. I strive to be like those
teachers they were the most inspiring, effective, and passionate teachers Ive ever had.
Just as teachers should be responsible for an organized and effective classroom,
they should also be responsible for good relationships. Teachers should have professional
and friendly relationships with administrators, which makes obtaining new materials
(instruments, music, etc.) easier for their band program and in the fine arts it is especially
important to have the support of the administration. Teachers should also have
professional and friendly relationships with other teachers. There should also be an open
atmosphere where teachers can come to one another for help (i.e. going to a special ed
teacher for help with a student with special needs) or just for other opinions and insights.
It is very important for band teachers to have is a good relationship with parents.
Band parents are huge supports to the program, in terms of volunteering, donating, and
just supporting their students. For any teacher, its important to have a good relationship
with parents so that there can be open communication if a student is struggling or
misbehaving or even if a student is doing well and the teacher wants to make sure the
parents know. The teachers relationship with the students themselves, though, is a
delicate balance. A teacher should be able to command respect from their students, as

they are in charge of the classroom. However, a teacher should make the classroom open,
welcoming, and non-threatening so students can engage freely in activities and know they
can come to the teacher with problems or concerns. On the contrary, a teacher cant be
too friendly with the students or they will lose respect and be seen either as a friend
instead of a teacher, or as a faker trying too hard to be the cool teacher.
Teachers should also try to promote good values and behaviors in their students. My
teachers never promoted the value of self-esteem, and therefore its the most important
value to me to promote. School demolished my sense of self-esteem, so Im especially
determined to instill that in my students. I also believe that a music classroom in
particular should promote teamwork, self-discipline, hard work, and determination to
better oneself. Many of these values lead to similar behaviors good behavior, curiosity,
working with others, trying ones hardest, working to improve oneself.
Along similar lines, my job as a music educator is ostensibly to teach students the
fundamentals of music and how to apply that to pieces of music. On a certain level, that
is my job, as well as to help students grow and develop as musicians and learn to
appreciate all kinds of music. More importantly, though, my job is to guide students
through growing up. Music teachers are one of the few teachers who have students for
many years, allowing me to have a different kind of relationship with my students. Ill be
able to watch them learn and grow through their schooling, which will help me teach
them the values I believe I should be teaching. While music is an important part of music
education, I firmly believe the most important part is what can be taught through music,
and my primary job is to teach those lessons.

Just as I hope to help my students grow and develop as people, I hope to continue
growing and developing myself. I will continue to develop a clearer sense of what I
believe educations purpose is and what values and behaviors I believe I should instill in
my students. I can do this by subscribing to educational journals and reading more about
education as well as articles written by teachers about education. I can also talk to
teachers of all kinds about their beliefs regarding education, to see what I agree with or
disagree with and find ways to synthesize what I agree with into my own philosophy.
One of the most important things to successfully continue professional growth is to
identify strengths and weaknesses and other areas of improvement. Personally, I know
my weaknesses include being disorganized and late or nearly late for classes and events. I
need to learn to better manage my time so that I can always be prepared and on time. I
also need to stop letting my emotions show when I teach (at least negative ones). My
students shouldnt be negatively affected by my personal frame of mind.
However, professional growth is not all about constant improvement its also
about continuing good habits and behaviors. I know I have plenty of good habits to create
a good foundation for my professional growth, as long as I continue them. I need to
continue being a dedicated and very hard worker. I also need to continue my expectations
for nothing but the best from myself and others as well as continue being passionate
about teaching and music and dedicated to teaching and my students.
As I continue to grow and develop as an educator, elements of my philosophy will
change. For now, though, I stand behind my beliefs on education. It may not be perfect,
but this philosophy is mine, created from research and my own experiences. And Ill stick
with it, because, to paraphrase Polonius, above all, to mine own self I must be true.

References

Progressive Education. Education Encyclopedia. Web.

Hammel, Alice M., and Hourigan, Ryan M. Teaching Music to Students with
Special Needs, a Label-Free Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Print.
Christy, Janice. Helping English Language Learners in the Classroom. Teaching

Today. Glencoe Online. n.d. Web. 16 November 2014.

Sadker, David Miller, and Zittleman, Karen R. Teachers, Schools and Society, a
Brief Introduction to Education. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.