Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education is that there are no limitations to educatuion. We are all inherently learners, so no matter our age, we are always in a place to be educated. 

 

Education cannot be limited to the classroom curriculums, tests and essays. Teachers are paid educators with guidelines on specific information they need to share with their students, but they can and should teach in more ways than one. Teachers should be role models to their students and teach them morals, respect and any other necessary life lessons. Additionally, we need to acknowledge the importance and relevance of what we are learning outside of school. 

 

A student’s role in the classroom is to learn, but it is important to recognize that teachers are learners as well. Just because a student is younger than their teacher does not mean that they cannot teach them something. Some of the most influential teachers are the ones who are unafraid to admit that they can learn from their students. Students may not be able to teach the course content, but they can share new ideas or influence their teachers to think differently or more openly. Inherently, no matter our age, we are always learning. 

There really should be no limitations on who is educated, what they are learning or why they’re being educated. With societal issues like discrimination, it is important to acknowledge the sad fact that not everyone who is being “educated” is truly reaching their full potential of education. There are race and gender issues, which are spoken a lot of by Dr. Beverly Tatum and Dr. Bettina Love. There are learning disabilities that are not worked with to the level that they should be, which is spoken mostly about in Salvin’s Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice text. Too many young students are not receiving the education that they deserve. Too many groups of people, whether it be African Americans or the Latinx community are suffering discrimination rather than thriving in schools that want them to excel. Too many people are being torn down and stripped off their knowledge. My philosophy of education is that no one should have to face controversy in the face of education, so looking at all of the struggles presented by Dr. Beverly Tatum, Dr. Bettina Love and Slavin, I will make sure that I do all I can to create an inclusive, safe and educational environment in my place of work. 

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A quote I remember from Tatum’s book, Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race is “A black student can play down his or her Black identity in order to succeed in school and mainstream institutions without rejecting his or her Black identity and culture” because of how horribly ridiculous that sounds. It also reminds me of Love saying that Black girls are oftentimes seen as “defiant” and “disruptive” in a classroom and how teachers want them to “calm down” and downplay their personality. No person should have to downplay any part of who they are, even if their able to not reject their culture, as Tatum says here. It stems back in history though when white people could go to school and people of color couldn’t or back to slavery; the white superiority complex is still too prevalent in society because white men forced themselves into roles where they can do whatever they please. As long a white males are granted all of the resources, those higher-ups don’t care about others. No race should suffer because of a white person’s privilege, but unfortunately that is still happening today. If the student is a bit rowdy, there should be time implemented for them to get their energy out. There are always options to help. No one’s identity should be dismissed or downplayed in the face of education, but rather, it should be valued and utilized to their advantage. Culture and identity play into education more than one would expect, so there should be no reason that would impede someone’s educational worth. Home is where you learn how to learn and where your foundation stems from, so every students culture and identity should be valued because that is a main reason they are succeeding. Not only is it because of a child’s work ethic or the worth of the teacher, but it is also home life and loved ones. 

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Another issue in a classroom that I want my philosophy of education to focus on is students with different learning styles. Slavin gets into this in his text, covering behavorist theories of learning that covers human behavior, constructivist theories of learning that covers knowledge based off of experiences and cognitivist theories of learning that covers internalized processes related to learning. To me, I see this as something that alls stems back from home life and culture. Children begin learning from the time their born and if they get used to their caretakers and guardians teaching them in a certain way or if they adapt their learning styles (regarding nature and nurture), it continues to pass on through school. Too often are students learning styles not adapted to. As a possible future educator, I want to be able to find ways to implement different learning styles into my classroom so each student can benefit. No one should have to struggle with learning. There may be a way to assess children’s learning styles and learning theories and I’d like to adapt that into my work as a future educator to help them reach their highest potential.

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There are also economic factors that affect people from getting a proper education. If someone is attending a poorer school district, they don’t get resources that other students get or tutors if they need help. They don’t get offered the opportunities that kids in the middle class get offered. They miss chances of college and higher education because there is not enough resources to help them. This is a major problem. While I know that college is rightfully expensive, if there are kids struggling to get there and try to make themselves a better living, there should be more scholarships and financial aid handed out to them. Not doing this is stripping higher levels education from kids who deserve it.

There are truly no restrictions to learning. However, unfortunately, there are limitations to a proper academic education. My philosophy of education is that because we are all learners, everyone should be granted to use that ability in a professional academic setting. No one should have to worry that they cannot or will not receive proper schooling.

 

As a future teacher in adolescent education, I plan keeping an equitable classroom that allows every student to share their thoughts to show them that their knowledge and ability to share what they have learned is important. I will keep an open mind and create a safe environment for students to work together and communicate. A classroom should be a freeing place for all students, and it is my goal to make that for my future students.

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Sources: 

Love, B. (2019) We Want To Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of 

Educational Freedom. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

 

Slavin, R.E. (2018). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (12thed.). Boston, MA: 

Pearson.

 

Tatum, B. D. (2017) Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria? And Other 

Conversations About Race (Revised & Updated). New York, Hachette Book Group.