Running head: PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT 1

Professional Philosophy Statement

Jeni Tetamore

Rasmussen College

Author Note

This Professional Philosophy Statement is being submitted on April 22, 2017 for

Michelle Hamilton, Ed.S. EC121/EEC1735 Section 02 Health, Safety, and Nutrition/CDA

Application course.
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Professional Philosophy Statement

As the mother of seven, with children ranging in age from 5-25, I have experienced

personally the fullness of the educational process while still immersed within it. I have children

who have required IEPs, who were on accelerated learning paths, dropped out then dropped back

in again. I have homeschooled, traditional schooled, had a child try the public online option, a

child who received a scholarship to a private school, and now most go to an alternative Pre-K

through 12 public school. It might even be said, there is not a dark corner of the educational

process I left unexplored.

Belief System

This willingness to try anything, to affect change, to work within and without traditional

methods is very much the foundation of my belief system about teaching and learning: 1) It

should fit the child, and 2) Nothing is a better teacher than experience and real life. I believe that

children need a balance between structure and freedom, and that with freedom comes

responsibility. They need the opportunity to explore the world they live in, take risks, and learn

from their mistakes.

Learning Philosophy

My philosophy is based upon two cornerstones: Open School Education, such as what

might be found in Jefferson County, Colorado, and Socratic methodology. When balancing

structure and freedom, the Socratic method provides an innate structure. For example, within the

trivium of Classical Education, from birth to age 10 focuses on memorization, repetition, facts,

and figures because the childs brain is hardwired to be excited about this type of learning.

Freedom comes in the form of providing for opportunities of real-life experiences, projects and

problem based learning, and personalization within the structure. When the child has an occasion
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to apply learning to their own life, experience, or previous knowledge, that learning becomes

imbedded within their consciousness in a more permanent manner.

Personal Roles

My role within this process is to be facilitator of knowledge and experience within our

community of learners. In one sense, it could be said I would be both Vygotskys More

Knowledgeable Other and/or mentor depending on the activity or lesson. My other role for

children and families is to be an advocate for needed services, such as financial, educational,

social, emotional, linguistic, etc. support. Additionally, parents are entrusting me with the care

and well-being with their child for the bulk of the day. I am responsible for providing a loving

and compassionate surrogate for the parents to the child while they are in my care. As this

surrogate, the parents are delegating the responsibility during these specific hours with the

raising, educating, and the support of their belief system to their child in their stead.

Conclusion

When children have an opportunity to learn the way not only their brains and bodies

work best, but also within researched-based practices proven to work, they thrive. Differentiation

and personalization, planning for special needs and CLD learning, and knowing that all things

must work within a real-world application is essential to not only a teachers success, but the

students. I believe my philosophy ensures such a balance.