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Amber Parham
Educ. 101
Henderson
10/28/14
Philosophy of Education
What a student learns in your classroom today, can affect their
future tomorrow. I believe every child is capable of learning, but it
takes a good teacher to bring these abilities out. My hope for my future
classroom is that my students are challenged and able to learn and
grow to their fullest potential. I hope they will learn their personal
strengths, as well as weaknesses. I want them to take advantage of the
freedom they have to express themselves creatively. This provides me
a broader view of what my students need overall, to help them
improve and succeed. In order for a child to benefit from a classroom,
teachers must exemplify three different attributes to give their
students a quality education. With these aspects, a teacher equips
their students with the necessary tools to succeed in school and in life.
First, teachers must be aware of their purpose, set goals, and
have a mission, in order to provide their students with a quality
education. Although many teachers enter the field because they love
teaching a subject, only those who are able to understand, enhance,
and meet their students affective needs, will truly be a successful
educator. Your purpose should not only be to teach the core curriculum
so that a student is able to grasp an abstract concept to pass a test,
but to interest and intrigue them in what they are learning. You must
be practical and capable of connecting what they are learning to how it
can be applied in life and the real world. With this connection, students
will gain motivation and interest in what you are teaching. My goal as a
teacher is to provide learning styles that will guide and teach my
students how they can better learn not only in my classroom, but in
their future classes, too. My sole mission for my students is for them
to feel safe and comfortable, to have compassion for others, and with
my teaching styles, hopefully gain a thirst for knowledge.
Second, teachers must distinguish the nature of knowledge, what
is worth knowing, and what values to teach their students. The nature
of knowledge for my classroom would be a split between my personal

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experiences in life and becoming a teacher, as well as the structured
knowledge from the subjects curriculum. I personally do not believe
that a teacher can be successful if they do not incorporate knowledge
from their own life experiences that students can relate to, in their
lessons. I do believe that students increasing their understandings
through their own experiences is a legitimate form of knowledge. It is
not the same kind of knowledge from a textbook of course, but
personal knowledge is essential to living a fulfilling and satisfying life.
When deciding what is worth knowing for your classroom, you should
be aware of the need for reflecting continually on what and why you
believe something. Students should be educated of all opposing sides
in each situation. The basic skills of reading, writing, and oral
communication that prepare you to be successful in your chosen
occupation are very important to learn, as well as the worldwide
content found in the Great Books. More importantly, I believe is the
constructivist view, concerned with students learning how to reason,
communicate, and solve problems. These cognitive processes help
students learn how to learn, and is a realistic preparation for ones
future. I also agree with the developing of the whole child, guiding
students in becoming self-actualizing people. The content should be
meaningful to them, as well as contributing to them becoming a
mature, well-integrated person. I believe the knowledge that is of most
worth is that of both truth and reality, structure of subject content, as
well as what is ethically and morally correct, which also goes along
with what values I believe should be taught to students. I believe
students should adopt values that are meaningful to them. I instill in
my students, even if they do not agree with others beliefs, everyone is
entitled to their own opinion. If I disagree with a student myself, I
would never put their values down or try to push my own upon them.
Instead, I would just distribute information of all contributing sides,
equally. Good teaching comes with having a center and understanding
of yourself and who you are, especially in front of your classroom. A
students learning should not completely be evaluated on how many
facts they know, but on how they are understanding and interpreting
the root meanings in what the teacher is trying to instill in them. I
believe in teaching things in a meaningful and an in-depth approach,
rather than presenting the surface of each topic in a lecturing format.
Finally, teachers should acknowledge the roles of various people
who are associated with their school. This includes the teachers,

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students, parents, community, as well as technology and the learning
experiences that should be integrated into the curriculum. Teachers are
leaders that assume a wide range of roles that support their schools
and students success. Students in the classroom hold a level of
responsibility in the success of their education, since they are putting
in their best efforts. Although, I believe a students failure is not
completely their responsibility, because they cannot be held to this
since they have no say in what they are learning or how they are
taught. Some students do not have any motivation to learn, try, or pay
attention, but at the younger ages this is where it is your job as a
teacher to find strategies to motivate them. Some might have
behavioral issues or learning disabilities, but that too is your
responsibility to talk to the parents, as well as your mentor. Parents
also play a role in their childs education. It is the teachers
responsibility to teach at school, and a parents responsibility to
continue that over into their home. Parents should also be working with
their children on their schoolwork and should be involved with their
academics, too. Without a parents support, children are less likely to
succeed in school or care about their education. To assist schools in
addressing the social problems that affect students, many communities
are acting in the spirit of a recommendation that possibly in every
community there will not be just a school board, but a childrens board
as well. This is a good idea to build a friendly, supportive environment,
working together for the good of the students and their education. The
role of technology in education continues to progress with our society.
Now, we have iPads in classrooms as young as the first grade. At first, I
thought this was a horrible idea. But, after experiencing students
working with iPads first hand, it really is a helpful tool for studying,
practicing, getting immediate responses on tests, as well as being a
communication tool for teachers by highlighting where each students
academic standing is. Providing both student success, along with the
areas they are struggling in. I believe iPads should continue being used
as a learning tool in the classroom, as long as iPads are not taking the
place of the teacher. I believe that learning experiences should be
integrated into every teachers curriculum. The process of
incorporating standards into the curriculum accentuates learning and
growth for all, being the conventional and desired outcome of reform in
every school. From that view, I again believe in the continuation of
using the technologies in schools that we have now become accustom
to.

In conclusion, I hope to overall be a teacher that students get

excited about having each year! As a teacher, I aim to positively
influence every single student. In order for a child to benefit from a
classroom, teachers must exemplify three different attributes to give
their students a quality education. Teachers need to be aware of their
purpose, set goals, and have a mission. Teachers then must distinguish
the nature of knowledge, what is worth knowing, and what values to
teach their students. Lastly, teachers should acknowledge the roles of
various people who are associated with their school including the
teachers, students, parents, community, as well as technology and the
learning experiences that should be integrated into the curriculum.
With these aspects, a teacher equips their students with the necessary
tools to succeed in school and in life. My sole mission for my students
is for them to feel safe and comfortable, to have compassion for
others, and with my teaching styles, hopefully gain a thirst for
knowledge.