Educational Philosophy 1

Educational Philosophy

Brittany Chard
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A good teacher is someone who is able to communicate with their students. They

recognize that every child learns differently, and are able to accommodate for that in their

lesson. A good teacher works hard at ensuring that there is an understanding with what is being

learned in the classroom and shows students that they are not simply learning for school, but to

better themselves in the long run. A good teacher knows how to reach their students on a level

that they will understand and be able to get the most out of the lesson.

The role of the teacher is to impart information onto the students, but also form a

trusting, professional relationship with the students. In order to have a productive and effective

working environment, there needs to be a level of trust between a teacher and their students. In

order to do this, a teacher must ensure that they form bonds with their students, while also

keeping it a professional relationship. Allowing for there to be trust among the classroom, the

working environment becomes productive and the students learn the most they can.

A student is expected to return the respect and hard work that a teacher puts out for

them. They are expected to ask questions when they are confused, do their best on their

classwork, and show the teacher the same level of respect shown to them. A teacher-student

relationship is a give and take relationship that works both ways. Unless the student is willing to

give hard work back to the teacher, the working environment will no longer be effective.

My teaching style is one that is geared towards the student. I believe that no two children

learn the same way. For that reason, it is important to realize that a teacher cannot simply teach

a lesson one uniform way and expect that all of the students will understand the new material

given to them. Although it may be a bit more work for me in the long run, I will be willing to adapt

my lesson in multiple different ways to allow or maximum understanding of the student. In my

eyes, they will never be at this level of their learning again, so it is critical that they learn as
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much as they possibly can while they can. To do this, it is important that the lesson is in a format

that they can understand and get the most out of.

Student motivation will naturally come through good grades. That has been the same for

more years than one can count. However, good grades do not always just come for students,

and I believe it is because of a one-size-fits-most mentality of teachers. By differentiating work

for different learners in my classroom, they will be grasping the work in their own way, making

them thoroughly understand the material, allowing them to do well on assessments and get

good grades. This cycle allows for self motivation and a huge confidence boost, which is such

an important aspect of learning.

It is important for students to not only learn the basics in school, but to also learn life

skills along the way. Throughout my own education, I was never taught things such as money

management, how to take student loans, or how to buy a car. All of these lessons would have

been so valuable in my life, and would have been so easy to integrate into a math lesson, or

even make a life skills class about. Students need to understand that what they are learning is

not just to take a test and forget about. They need to understand that what they are learning is

crucial for their future and without a lot of the skills they learn in school, they will not make it in

the real world.

My philosophy falls mainly under the Social Reconstructionism theory. This theory

believes that schools should not only focus on the normal lessons, but also relate it to social

order and issues, society and life. It makes students aware of social differences around them

and stirs their emotions about it. By teaching using this philosophy, it does not make kids see

school as a prison; a place where they go for eight hours a day to be taught pointless lessons

that they will never use again. Rather, it lets students take the lessons they learn and apply

them outside of the classroom to better themselves as people.

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The readings helped shape my educational philosophy throughout the semester by

showing me that I do not want to be a cookie cutter teacher. I want to be the teacher that the

students remember as pushing the boundaries and teaching them something meaningful and

worthwhile. Too many times, children hate school because they do not understand the point of

it. I want to be that teacher that gets kids excited to come to school and to learn new things.

Jane Roland Martin is a prime example of a woman who adapted the Social

Reconstruction Theory. She focuses on the students needs rather than what is easiest for the

teacher. She adapts to what is best for the student emotionally and cognitively. She adapts

lessons to ensure that they are getting the most out of the lesson based on their needs.

Education is such an important thing for students and, to think time is being wasted

because of a cookie cutter method that is not working is troubling. By adapting to the students

rather than the teachers, it allows for complete comprehension and a much better learning

environment.
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References

Sadker, D. M. (2017). ​Teachers, schools, and society: a brief introduction to education​(4th ed.).

Penn Plaza New York, NY: Mcgraw-Hill Education.