My Philosophy

Ive put a lot of thought into what kind of teacher I want to be, and this has
shaped my philosophy. I would consider myself to be mostly an essentialist. I firmly
believe that in order for us to progress as individuals in this world and as a society, it is
absolutely crucial that we obtain our essential knowledge. In particular, I find that the
essential knowledge that we receive in our elementary school education is what is most
important. Being able to read, write, do math, and know other vital information
pertaining to science and social studies is what creates the foundation of knowledge
with which we can build upon. If our students dont master these core areas then they
wont be able to continue obtaining knowledge. There is no way that any child would be
able to grow up, find a job, raise a family, or even sustain a good life without this
essential knowledge. We live in a world of progression so we want to be able to ensure
successful futures for all of our students. But its also true that just as we hold our
students to high standards of learning, we should also be holding our teachers to
teaching standards that are as equally as high. Teachers play one of the biggest roles in
the success of students.
As a prospective teacher, I personally will hold myself accountable to the
standards that are found in the standardized tests for teachers. Even though I dont
enjoy taking tests, I say this because I understand how important it is that our teachers
are completely prepared and qualified to teach the required curriculum. There has been
a lot of time and effort that has been put into perfecting the required curriculum for
students and so our teachers should be held accountable to teaching exactly that. If the

teachers in our currents schools arent teaching all that is required of them then we cant
expect anything more from our students.
Along with being an essentialist, I also consider myself to be a progressivist.
Although I feel strongly that students need to know essential knowledge, I also find it
extremely important that they progress socially, physically, and emotionally. There is a
lot more in life that one experiences and it cant all be learned in school textbooks. We
need to teach our children how to problem solve and critically think so they can be self
reliant and progress even greater in this life. I love how the book, Introduction to
Teaching, describes the views of progressivism. It states, The curriculum should be
composed of experiences applicable in todays world. Teachers should be caring
individuals, and instead of relying primarily on lecture as a teaching method, they should
use questioning and discussion to guide students as they search for meaning in the
world and their lives(Kauchak 157). I consider myself to be a kind and nurturing person
and thats exactly how I want to be viewed as by my future students. Teachers need to
build this kind of relationship with all of their students so that they can be successful in
guiding them. Some of the greatest teachers I have ever had truly held qualities such as
these and I learned a lot more in their classroom than just the essentials. The essentials
we learn in school and how we apply them in life go hand in hand so I feel thats why I
lean so strongly towards these two philosophies.
One of the greatest reasons that I chose education as my career path is because
I have a strong desire to make a powerful and positive impact on the world. By putting
these two philosophies into practice I feel thats how I can best achieve that. Teachers

hold a great responsibility in society and our students deserve to have the best of the
best.

Works Cited

Kauchak, Don, and Paul Eggen. Introduction to Teaching. 5th ed. N.p.: Pearson Education, 2014.
Print.