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Tina Johnsen

EDU 202

Professor Christensen

November 20, 2016

Personal Philosophy of Education Artifact #2

As I started exploring my thoughts on my personal philosophy of education, I felt unsure

of which questions I would be able to answer. I have spent many years in classrooms, but never

in a position of responsibility for the students overall education: classroom setting, curriculum

and lesson plans, discipline, reports and parent communication. It seemed a daunting task to lay

out a philosophy on something that still seems so far from what I am prepared for.

I have always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember; my first job was

working in the preschool room of our local day care. I love learning and the feeling of gaining

new information, but I know that not everyone else has that same excitement and thirst for

knowledge. I have been in many classrooms and have seen great differences in

the energy of those classrooms. Some teachers have a quiet calm about

them that sets the tone, while others use a bigger presence to show control.

I would like to be the teacher that has a warm and welcoming classroom where the students feel

comfortable and safe. Even if they dont enjoy or understand the subject that is being taught, they

at least look forward to being in my room each day. Spending time observing at Mannion Middle

School, I was again able to spend time in multiple classrooms. I found this to be beneficial and

the experience fit into what I thought would enhance an effective teacher education program!

As for how I see my actual educational philosophy, it would be a combination of

essentialism and progressivism. The teacher-centered philosophy of essentialism instills the core
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academic knowledge, patriotism, and character development. I feel that this is the responsibility

of the schools to provide these traditional disciplines. How they are provided is where I see the

student-centered approach of progressivism to be an effective philosophy of teaching. In the

early stages of Americas education system, the duty of transferring knowledge from one

generation to the next was the teachers basic role essentialism. As time passed, our country

grew and changed. As the country became more concerned with the diversity and equality of

education, some educators, like John Dewey, began the movement towards progressive

education. The federal government has become an integral part of our school system, with testing

remnants of No Child Left Behind and the anything-but-standard standards of the Common Core.

I hope to see the states take back control and delegate the task of teaching back to the local

communities and teachers.

Using the progressivism philosophy in my classroom would allow me to focus on the

students learning experience, preparing them, based on their individual needs, for their future. It

would allow a classroom that all students could thrive in; I could lecture, do hands-on projects,

and utilize technology and the arts. All of these aspects of my classroom would touch the diverse

group of learners that are in our classrooms now. Different learning styles and levels of

giftedness would blend together and learn together and thrive together. I would imagine that

most teachers have this as their perfect vision of a well-balanced classroom and it will be a

challenge just to get the students attention during those first few weeks, maybe even months. If I

surround myself with great mentors and stay true to my dreams, I will eventually be able to blend

my philosophy into real-life.

As of right now, I plan to finish my Associates Degree in the spring. I will be able to

transfer to Nevada State College and pursue my Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education with
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an emphasis on Math. I currently work for the Clark County School District and plan to continue

in the classroom as I finish my own education. I hope that my experience and network of

colleagues will make my transition to Teacher as seamless as possible. I enjoyed the service

learning aspect of this class and will continue to serve my community as well as instill those

values into my lessons in the classroom.

Now that my philosophy has been laid out, I feel more confident in my feelings about my

progress in this journey. Breaking it down made it manageable to wrap my head around and I

feel that my thoughts and feelings about my future in education are strong and doable. I look

forward to gaining the specific knowledge and experience that will further strengthen my

abilities to help shape the next generations and the future of our great country.