PHILOSOPHIES STATEMENT

Philosophies Statement Brianna Byer December 9th, 2013 Introduction to Education 5100: 200 Dr. Phil Martucci

PHILOSOPHIES STATEMENT During my years of schooling two teachers influenced who I am today and my current philosophy on education. These two teachers represent the most inspiring educator Ive

ever had and also the teacher who had a very negative impact on me. My middle school English teacher was a very knowledgeable, compassionate and overall great teacher. He showed his students that he genuinely cared about each one of them through his passionate style of teaching and the heart he put into his job. He continually put effort into making sure his students understood all the material he covered and also that every one of them were successful. My eighth grade history teacher also had an impact on my beliefs. This teacher showed me how not to act as a teacher. He presented class material in a way that did not benefit any of his students. His classes consisted solely of unenthusiastic lectures. My former history teacher did not show any interest in the success of his students or whether they understood the material. Although I do not agree with the way he taught, this teacher influenced me in a way to strive to become a better teacher and provide a greater quality education to students. My instructional philosophy has not entirely been based off of my past educators; it has also been influenced by ideas presented in this course. The readings we did for class had the greatest impact on how I plan to teach in the future. The book, Educational Foundations, written by Alan Canestrari and Bruce Marlowe provided me with many ideas and positions to base my philosophies on. In a section of this book, lack of enthusiasm and passion in young educators is discussed (Canestrari & Marlowe, 2013). This statement stuck with me because I have seen it first hand in schools today. I believe that these teachers are in a hard place where they have to base their instruction and curriculum off of the high amounts of standardized testing and new teacher evaluations that are being enforced. In my teaching I plan to do everything I can to avoid this. I want to constantly ensure that I find a way to avoid this style of teaching. In my classroom

PHILOSOPHIES STATEMENT

I plan to find a balance between these issues. I believe it is possible to keep the passion and heart I have for education and still meet the required standards. Good early childhood education, we believed, required collaboration between the school and the family (Meier, 2013). This quotation taken from our book also notes another important factor I plan to incorporate into my classroom. Connecting and communicating with students families is very beneficial. Practicing this in my future teaching will lead to a better understanding of each student and what they may need. Families of the students also have a concern with the education of the child and working with them is a great way to show them that you care about the success of that child. I plan to keep in contact with the families of my students through emails, and sending letters home regarding the students progress. I also would like to have conferences with the parents where this progress can be discussed further and we can figure out what else the child may need to succeed. Throughout this course and my field observations I also learned about the presence of diversity in classrooms and how to address it. During my observations I witnessed diversity within the way students learn and how to accommodate that. Each student is going to receive information in different ways. In my classroom I want to be able to meet all students needs. I plan to do this by differentiating my instruction. Presenting information in multiple ways is an effective way to do this and will help ensure that all students can comprehend the material. I also plan to differentiate assignments and assessments. Students not only receive information differently but they also have different ways of presenting what they learned. By giving students multiple ways to show what they have learned, I believe they will have a better chance at succeeding. Providing various ways to assess the students will allow me to gain more knowledge on what each student has internalized and where they need more instruction.

PHILOSOPHIES STATEMENT I believe the sole purpose for schooling in any society is to provide the knowledge and tools necessary to become an educated, well rounded human being. In a democratic society, I realize that children are our future. Proper schooling and education of students has a purpose to ensure that the people who will be in charge of this society in twenty years are men and women that are intelligent, critical thinking, responsible adults. In my future teaching I will be fully committed to ensuring that these children are given an unbiased, high-quality education. I also

believe that schooling should further the development of each individuals self. Schooling should provide students with a chance to become the person they would like to be. Education should not be only focused on students later careers, but should also consider the importance of assisting students into becoming individuals with their own morals and beliefs. Knowledge of the professional teaching standards set for educators in Ohio has had a great impact on what kind of teacher I see myself being in the future. A standard that stuck out to me is Teachers expect that all students will achieve to their full potential (Department of Education, 2007). This standard, I believe, describes my philosophy of teaching perfectly. As a teacher, I think I will be readily able to address this. Each student has a chance reach their full potential and I know that it is my job to help them get there by providing a good education which inspires them to do their best. Another standard that I will be able to achieve as a new teacher is recognizing gifted, disabled and at risk students and being able to adapt my instruction to properly accommodate each student (Department of Education, 2007). With the knowledge I have acquired in my previous course and the intelligence I will receive about this in my future classes, I feel fully confident in my ability to differentiate my instruction in order to help all students succeed in my classroom. I see these standards as expectations that every educator should continually work towards achieving. I believe in my future as a teacher I will adhere to

PHILOSOPHIES STATEMENT these standards and throughout my career I will reflect on ways to better meet them in order to provide the best education to my students as possible. I chose to go into the profession of teaching to make a positive difference in the lives of children. As a future educator I want to help ensure that these students are prepared to enter the

world with confidence and knowledge that allows them to succeed. My philosophy on education is based on many concepts that were presented in this course and others that I have seen in my experiences within schools. I strive to be a teacher that inspires my students and teaches with heart and compassion like my middle school English teacher did. I plan to recognize that all students are different and educate in a way that is able to reach the minds of each one.

PHILOSOPHIES STATEMENT Bibliography Canestrari, A.S., & Marlowe, B.A. (2013). How does one develop a critical voice: From silence to dissent In A. Canestari & B. Marlowe (Eds.),Educational foundations: An anthology of critical readings (3rd ed., pp. 203-212). Los Angeles, California : SAGE Publications, Inc. Department of Education, (2007).Standards for ohio educators. Retrieved from website:

http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Equity/Ohio s-Educator-Standards/StandardsforEducators_revaug10.pdf.aspx Meir, D. (2013). What do good schools look like: Success in east harlem. In A. Canestrari & B. Marlowe (Eds.), Educational foundations: An anthology of critical readings (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA. : SAGE Publications, Inc.