Stephanie Goering

Personal Teaching
Philosophy
 Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. This quote by the
father of the progressive education movement, John Dewey, is a very common one that
most teachers have probably heard. This quote represents what I think of when I think
of my teaching philosophy. Education is enriching students minds with the tools needed
for them to develop a strong moral identity by fostering their own knowledge and
creativity. The goal of formal education is not to simply send our students out into the
world to develop their skills, but teachers should be cultivating and giving students the
opportunity to grow knowledge and unique skills while they are still in the classroom.
Without the valuable skills and knowledge acquired with a quality education, our nation,
as well as our world, would crumble. Formal education is shaping the future through the
students that cycle through every school across the world. The goal of a quality
education is to prepare people to benefit society by leading moral, cultural, productive,
and creative lives. All of these goals can be developed through an exceptional music
classroom.
Music is a portal that can be transformed to open doors to any student of every
single age. Not only does it actively engage both parts of the brain, it fosters both
independence and sense of community among students, as well as gives students the
opportunity to experience cultural diversity. Music Education is an important part of
creating well-rounded students, and while music alone is such an integral part of every
persons life, it also encompasses every other subject, and gives students a real-life
application of these topics. The ability to create is one of the most prominent skills
students will build on in a music course, but music also builds leadership skills,
communication skills, problem-solving skills, and many more.
My philosophy is that while the students have to exhibit a true will to learn, it is
the teachers mission to cultivate the creativity and passion of music in the students. A
teacher should strive for a student-centered classroom, and their main goal should be to
give their students opportunities to expressive themselves both creatively and
intellectually. A relatable teacher is an effective teacher, and we have to build a
relationship of trust with our students while still maintaining boundaries. Perhaps the
most important job of a teacher is to establish a culturally relevant classroom that
incorporates each students unique backgrounds and ethnicities. They [teachers who
practice culturally relevant methods] believe that all of their students can succeed rather
than that failure is inevitable for some (The Dreamkeepers, Ladson-Billings, Pg. 25). It
is extremely pertinent that each student knows that they are capable of success in any
aspect of music, and the biggest way to ensure this is by using their familiar cultures
and integrating them in their classroom. Teachers should create a safe atmosphere for
students, and be completely equitable with them by showing them that it is possible for
each one of their students to be successful.
Each student should leave a classroom feeling that they have completed the
course to the best of their ability. Achieving success in the music classroom varies for
each student. However, each student should be able to create, improvise, and analyze
music, as well as use musical expression, understand basic and complex musical
terms, and know how to apply them in their music. They will build on each skill they
inherit through the course of their musical career, and will each develop their own
musical interests and opinions. But more than anything, students should leave the
classroom with the knowledge and skills to be a truly well-rounded person.
My job as a teacher is to facilitate growth and comprehension of different aspects
of music. My job as an educator is to cultivate a generation of students who will leave
my classroom with strong moral will and solid virtues. An effective teacher will mold
these two beliefs into one to create the ideal atmosphere of learning for their students. If
my students can use music and the benefits it offers them to become well-rounded
individuals, then my students, as well as myself, have succeeded. An outstanding music
educator will balance both musical excellence and moral skill development in their
teaching, and provide their students with the opportunity to expand their creativity and
evolve as individual musicians.
 Works Cited

Ladson-Billings, Gloria. The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African

American
Children. 2nd ed. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2009.