Running Head: MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

My Personal Philosophy of Education

Sydney Bohannon
Wesleyan College

Author Note
This paper was prepared for EDU 201 instructed by Dr. Virginia Wilcox

MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

My Personal Philosophy of Education

A sweet little toddler eagerly releases her mothers hand in order to run into her
Montessori classroom to compete a painting left undone the day before. The mother holds back
tears as she begins to witness her baby grow up right before her eyes. Fifteen years later, the
same mother finds herself stifling those same sobs as her now legal-adult daughter crosses the
stage to receive her diploma- with full honors. This scenario is a very loose synopsis of my own
educational journey; a journey that I am convinced began with my early Montessori foundation.
As I have learned the names, biographies, and viewpoints of educational philosophers in my high
school and college education courses, I have always been drawn to the philosophies of Maria
Montessori and other existentialist contemporaries. I truly believe that the way we come to
know truth is by choice (Webb, Metha, & Jordon, 2010, p. 62), which is a central component in
the epistemology of existentialists. I give the most credit to my level of educational success thus
far to being enrolled in a Montessori school at two years old and being offered choices in how I
would learn about the world around me. In my future classroom, I plan to model Montessoris
methods of free choice and independence, encourage ample parental involvement, and teach to
the needs of each individual student as much as I feasibly can. By using these three notions as
guidelines, it is my greatest hope to help my future students build strong educational foundations
to ensure their lifelong success.
Continuing to use my own educational journey as the main case study, several past
teachers of mine have been influential in the formation of my personal philosophy, both
positively and negatively. My most influential teacher by far was my high school Early
Childhood Education teacher, Mrs. Cooper. Within the three years that I had the privilege to be
her student, she taught me more about not only child development but also how to be successful

MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

as a student, teacher, and individual. Each day, she encouraged her students to learn in their own
unique ways. For me, that meant coming in to her first period each morning, coffee in hand, and
writing out a detailed to-do list for the day. After I completed my list and finished my coffee, I
would always get down to business and complete her classwork in a speedy yet thorough manner
so that I had time to organize various things around her room for her. She praised me as a clean
queen and planner bee, which furthered my love and respect for her all the more. However, I
was not the only one to receive this type of relaxed work environment and recognition for
excellence. Mrs. Cooper went above and beyond her contract requirements to give the same type
of personal attention that I received to each and every one of her students. Due to her caring and
helpful nature, she never had to command her pupils to finish their work. Mrs. Cooper had a way
of making her expectations clear in a non-forceful manner and we all strove to turn in our best
work to her out of sheer respect. In an age where respect is something teachers receive less and
less, the way that Mrs. Cooper earned it from her students and colleagues is another component
to my personal philosophy.
Although she taught a much more advanced group, the structure of Mrs. Coopers
classroom reminds me greatly of that of teacher and author Bill Ayers classroom. Their
emphasis on teaching to the individual student as opposed to a collective class, free choice, and
praise make both of their classs warm and inviting learning spaces that I intend to emulate.
Ayers graphic novel To Teach (2010) provides a great deal of insight as to how to structure a
classroom to encourage discovery, exploration, and true learning. In the third chapter, he claims
that one of his main goals in creating a learning environment is to ensure that students are
nurtured and challenged in the same gesture (2010 p. 45). I intend to structure my future

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classroom with that notion in mind and create an existentialist learning environment comparable
to both Ayers and my beloved Mrs. Cooper.
On the other end of my educational spectrum, my high school Accelerated Math Two
teacher was the epitome of my idea of a horrible teacher. His lecture-heavy teaching method and
impersonal nature made him and his classroom extremely unwelcoming. Questions on his
lectures or practice problems were met with unpleasant responses of Im not taking questions
right now or ask a neighbor. I have a very difficult time not being able to have an open
dialogue with my instructor, especially when it pertains to difficult math concepts that fall on the
borderline of my comprehension capabilities. I found myself crying over homework and tests on
several occasions because I felt as though he just did not care to help me succeed. I ended up
barely passing with a C average, which was completely disheartening and embarrassing as an
Honors student with sky-high expectations placed on me.
This teachers instructional style was without a doubt modeled in the style of the official
theory of learning and forgetting explained by Smith in his novel The Book of Learning and
Forgetting (1998). The official theory is described essentially as that learning is work, and
anything can be learned provided sufficient effort is expended and sufficient control enforced
(1998 p. 4). Smith identifies that this is the dominant theory in our current educational system
and argues that it is preeminent, coercive, manipulative, discriminatory- and wrong (1998 p.
4). This is a statement that I could not agree more with and am a true testament to. I am certain
that I was capable of achieving an A average in that class, however, I was expected to expend my
own personal effort with minimal aid- if any. Due to that unreasonable expectation, I struggled
and eventually became a disappointment not only to myself, but also to those who cared about
my success. Although this class was extremely challenging, it did serve as an example as to how

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not to instruct my students. In regards to my personal philosophy of education, completing that

class was equally as valuable as completing Mrs. Coopers Early Childhood courses as it allowed
me to experience firsthand the frustration that occurs when covering the curriculum is placed
before student understanding. The official theory of learning will most certainly not be the
practiced within my classroom.
While my most vivid and easily retrievable memories are from my high school years, I
truly believe that had it not been for my strong early education foundation, I would not have
reaped the great success that I did in those four years. After spending time in Pre-Kindergarten,
Kindergarten, and Second Grade classrooms, I am confident that my place is with the
Kindergarten age group.
The purpose of school for this specific age group is to pour the concrete in their stillforming educational foundations, provide choices for expression and discovery, and to foster a
true love of the true essence of learning. I believe that a Kindergarteners nature is to be
inquisitive about the world around them and to be starving for clear and relevant answers. These
two factors make children at this age group extremely impressionable, and I personally intend to
make the most positive impression on my students mind possible by encouraging those off the
wall questions and providing appropriate answers. The lessons that should be taught to
Kindergarteners should strengthen reading sills, math skills, and science skills. Basic social
studies concepts should be incorporated slightly with holidays such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Day and Presidents Day, however they should not necessarily be a central focus. The lessons
that are given to strengthen these three skills should be as individualized as possible so that each
child is pushed to his or her next level of performance. No student, especially at this age group,
should consistently be presented with a lesson that is too easy or too difficult in order for full

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potential to be reached and for a positive view of education to be formed and sustained. The
instructional methods required for Kindergarteners are a synthesis of instructional large group,
non-instructional large group (i.e. music and movement), instructional small group, and free
choice non-instructional center time. The main reason for this diverse blend of instruction is to
maintain the focus of this age group. Without instructional variation in their day, Kindergarteners
would tune out to activities out of boredom and lack of focus. Furthermore, independent noninstructional center time allows Kindergarteners time to develop their personal creativity and
social skills, which is vital to overall educational success. The Kindergarten classroom should be
managed with clear and appropriate behavior guidelines and praise should be given for
exceptional actions and work. Classroom management guidelines should be tapered each year to
fit the students as a whole as well as any specific children who may require additional
disciplinary procedures. Since mandatory standardized testing is not required for this age group,
assessments should be conducted on a one-on-one basis so that each child can display their
knowledge in an individualized manner conducive to exhibiting their maximum potential.
Pushing each of my students in a forceful yet loving way to reach that maximum potential serves
as the overall mission statement of my personal educational philosophy.
The same little girl who toddled into Montessori school is now in college with a full
scholarship, a 4.0 grade point average, and recent induction into the honors program. While I
have undoubtedly had influential teachers in the later years of my educational journey, I give
credit to the teachers in my formative early years of education for establishing within me the
groundwork for the educational success that I have achieved. It is my utmost goal as an educator
to provide my students with the same opportunity. No matter what obstacles the children in my
class may be facing outside of that room, I want them to know that I sincerely believe in them

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and their ability to become great. Like Ayers (2010), I consider one of the most essential jobs of
an educator is to become students of their students (p. 26). This notion is one that will guide
each and every component of the way I intend to teach as I strive to make a difference within
every child that walks into my classroom.

MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

References
Ayers, B. (2010). To Teach: A Journey in Comics. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Smith, F. (1998). The Book of Learning and Forgetting. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Webb, D., Metha A, Jordan, K. (2010). Foundations of American Education. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Merill.