Monday, November 28, 2011

Education Philosophy


Education is receiving or giving information, and is what shapes out society.  Education allows people to make decisions about their own beliefs and in effect guides the way they live their lives.  The most prevalent place to receive education is from a school.  There are three parts that make up a positive educational environment and they are teachers, students, and the administration.   

Teachers exist for the sole purpose of improving the lives of children.  A balance of compassion, patience, knowledge, trust, and a general desire to help children is needed to create a positive and safe learning environment for kids.  A compassionate teacher understands that all kids are different and embraces those differences.  Embracing differences involves changing lesson plans and putting in extra work to make sure that every child is set up for success and optimal learning.  A teacher who has patience will take time out of their lesson to help students learn something that they are having trouble with while also challenging the more advance students in the class.  Teachers should not get frustrated easily and should not hold grudges against students.  A good teacher should also be knowledgeable in the subject that he or she is teaching.  There is always more than one way to teach something and teachers should have multiple ways of teaching one thing so that more students can learn at their highest potential.  A genuine desire to improve a child’s life is also needed.  A teacher should always put student’s education before any other outside assignment in the district.  Coaching, advising a club, or working on outside projects cannot get in the way of teaching.  The last and most important quality of a good teacher is trustworthiness.  Students, parents, and administration need to be sure that a teacher is creating a safe environment in which children can learn to their fullest potential. 

Students need to be willing to learn, and open to forming their own ideas about what they are being taught.  Receiving information from a teacher should not be enough, students need to process the information and add their own life experiences into the mix to come up with their own ideas.  It is easy to accept what is taught at face value, but students need to be encouraged to challenge what they are being told if they don’t agree, and add more personal insight to the information if they do agree. 

The environment that education takes place in can have a large impact on the quality of that education.  Students and teachers should feel as though the district or administration is supporting the enhancement of education.  A district can show support through funding, openness to new ideas and programs, and constant contact.  A school district should know what is going on in the classroom or gymnasium at all times, and should be providing sufficient equipment and supplies to make sure that positive, beneficial learning is taking place. 

If teachers, students, and administration are all compliant to these ideas, I feel as though maximum learning will occur, and students will be well prepared individual thinkers in society. 

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