Learner Autobiography and Philosophy of Education 1

Learner Autobiography and Philosophy of Education

Zach Zimmer

National University
 Learner Autobiography and Philosophy of Education 2

Abstract

My personal teaching philosophy has been molded throughout my life and is a

testament of who I am as a person. Many different experiences in my life have led me

to the teaching philosophy I would like to incorporate into my future classrooms. There

have been teachers in my life who have influenced me both positively and negatively. I

want to learn from my personal experiences with my own teachers and be a better

teacher because of my insight. After completing the educational philosophy survey I

was intrigued to find myself fall in the progressive category. I believe this is due to

many factors such as my personal experiences and my desire to teach physical

education.
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Learner Autobiography and Philosophy of Education

Being raised by teachers, I spent a lot of time in the classroom. All this time

spent in the classroom I had many different experiences, some were positive while

others were negative. Looking back on my life I can definitely say one the positive

experiences I have had with a teacher was with my third grade teacher Ms. Gill. When I

was in third grade I struggled with reading. It was a real struggle for me to read in front

of the class, get through the weekly reading homework, reading and understanding

directions on my tests, and so much more. I remember she reached out to my family

and I and offered to give me extra reading instruction before school. Ms. Gill took a half

hour out of her morning and arrived to work early so I could be successful. The most

amazing thing to me was how much she truly helped me. My reading level went

drastically up my 3rd grade year, reading has forever been a strong subject in my life,

and most importantly I very much enjoy reading to this day. Ms. Gill showed me at a

young age how much a teacher can truly help a student and inspire them to learn.

However, with all my positive experiences I have had a few negative ones as well. I

think everyone can relate to the stereotypical PE teacher who simply brings out the

football and tells the kids to play a game of flag football while they sit and seemingly do

nothing. A PE teacher is suppose to inspire their kids to want to participate in gym, and

not simply “roll the balls out” for kids to play for a hour. The most important thing to do

as a future teacher is to take each and one of these experiences and reflect on them so

I can be a better teacher for them.

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Ms. Gill is definitely one of the many teachers that guided me to choose the path

of teaching. As i talked about earlier, Ms. Gill was my 3rd grade teacher who helped me

with my reading. Ms. Gill really inspired me to become a teacher because she showed

me how much a teacher can instill an appreciation for a subject in a student. When I

was young I would never have picked up a book outside the classroom if it was not for

Ms. Gill. According to the US Department of Education (2008) “Research shows that

children who read well in the early grades are far more successful in later years; and

those who fall behind often stay behind when it comes to academic achievement.” She

showed me the fun of reading and gave me a hobby that I never thought I would of

enjoyed.

I believe I decided to become a teacher when I was young going on the

wrestling trips with my father. My dad was the local high school wrestling coach and PE

teacher. Basically living in the wrestling room from a young age I realized how much of

a “second father” my dad was to a lot of his wrestlers. And the wrestlers were like older

brothers to me. Many of the wrestlers came from rough backgrounds and my dad went

the extra mile for each one of them to make sure they had the tools to succeed.

Whether that be giving a wrestler a ride to school when he couldn't get there, setting up

study halls to make sure all wrestlers were in good academic standing, and so much

more. The wrestlers truly loved my dad and many of them are involved in my dad's and

my life to this day. What this all showed me is how much a teacher can impact a

person's life for the better. Amy Donaldson wrote, “In nearly two decades of telling the

stories of successful athletes, I nearly always hear one common detail. Somewhere
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along the way, the kids who find ways to succeed have coaches who believed in them.”

This is my dad, and this is the type of coach and teacher I aspire to be.

After completing the Educational Philosophy Survey I was pleasantly

surprised to fall into the progressivism category. Progressivism is, according to Sadker

“Rather than focus on content or on the teacher, Progressivists believe that education

should be student-centered, focused on active participation, questioning, and

experimentation. Other characteristics of this philosophy include shared decision

making about curriculum, democratic processes, and academic freedom. I feel as if this

fits me well considering the subject I want to teach and my personal experiences. The

whole goal behind physical education is to instill an understanding and appreciation for

physical fitness in our students. The best way to do this for each individual is to

introduce them to a variety of different sports and physical activities then let them

decide what they enjoy doing. Because physical education is not about getting kids in

shape it is about kids learning, on their own, the importance of continuing to stay

physically fit throughout your life.

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Works Cited

Philosophy of Education Survey:

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

405.) NY: McGraw Hill.

Three Questions on the Importance of Reading -- Extra Credit. (2008, March 25).

Retrieved October 7, 2018, from

https://www2.ed.gov/news/newsletters/extracredit/2004/0202.html

Donaldson, A. (2015, August 10). Coaches have the power to inspire, influence in ways

parents can't. Retrieved October 7, 2018, from

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865634197/Coaches-have-the-power-to-inspire-

influence-in-ways-parents-cant.html