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Michelle Quiroz
EDU 202
Professor Shkorupa
26 March 2016

Philosophical Portrait of Myself

It had occurred to me only once before today that I wanted to pursue a teaching career.

The first time was in middle school, because of a crazy teacher which helped me discover and

unravel my true potential. This dream of mine shortly died out over the years in high school, and

it wasn’t until my first semester in college when I finally decided- I can make a difference.

Personally, my high school experience wasn’t too great. If it wasn’t for my friends I probably

would have hated school. Not that my teachers were viscous like they were made out to be, but

unfortunately most of them were accustomed to the same teaching style: their textbook. “Open

your books to page 231. Your assignment is written on the board and they will be due at the end

of class”, pretty much sums up the majority of my classes in high school. Evidently these

teachers had been educators for several years, and were closed minded to new ideas and

overwhelmed with the evolution of their students. Unfortunately some seemed miserable, and

appeared to hate youth, but why would they choose a career which is supposed to guide them? I

still see it all every day and it puzzles me every time. This is one of the main reasons for my

sudden disgust in teaching when I was younger. We were always told that a career is a job that

an individual should take pride in, so why did so many teachers hate their careers? Rather, hate

their jobs, because they no longer enjoyed it so it cannot be called a career.

This teacher that impacted my youth was a very different, friendly woman, one who had

eyes so hopeful that she made you want to be a better person. Perhaps it weren’t her eyes that
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made me believe that, maybe it was the fact that she actually did believe in us. From her I

learned that not all students will be great students, but the ones who are great are the ones who

bring joy and pride to your tiresome everlasting days. She had a wonderful relationship with all

of her students, and appeared to have a very existentialist way of teaching. She would assign us a

project and gave the class complete freedom in how they carried it out. Creative people could

exercise and express their youthful minds, indulge in social activity, or work as an individual.

Now as free as this teacher was and let the class be, she was not all too gracious with grades. The

class knew her expectations and in return the class exceeded them. She was taken serious as the

teacher and presented herself as one of us at the same time. She was very similar to my mentor

Carlos Rosero from Western High. This field experience enlightened me with a different kind of

knowledge, the kind only a person acquires from doing. He stressed that it’s important to have a

good relationship with the students, but to make it clear who is “the boss”. It was so much

different sitting in a classroom as a visitor, and not one of their students.

This type of interaction as a teacher really helped me decide where I want to be in the

future, and also how I want to be. I want to make a difference in the “high school experience”

because times are changing, and many teachers refuse to change and challenge themselves. I am

aware that it is challenging to manage a classroom with a different environment than what is the

norm, but it’s important to be flexible and willing to try new things. Having several resources is

crucial in a classroom. Not all students learn the same way, and if they are not interested in the

material then attention is not paid. For example, I was always a good student. I did my work,

turned it in, participated only when I had to, and took notes (although I wouldn’t grasp anything

from them). Over the years I learned that I am an auditory or visual learner. I don’t learn

anything by staring at a screen and copying notes as fast as I can. In that case I just write
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mindlessly and hopefully read the material later to try and understand it. This only creates rote

memorization, so nothing is actually soaked in. Incorporating visual, auditory, verbal, and

physical forms of teaching is more beneficial than taking notes faster than you can process.

Perhaps this is my inner progressivist shining bright, but I actually think it’s important to

incorporate several learning philosophies.

The philosophies I believe in are student centered philosophies. I am striving to be an Art

of Spanish teacher in the near future. The arts are quickly dying subjects essential to education.

Courses like these are the kind that define and create paths for people. Personally I think it’s

important to make sure that each students needs are met and satisfied, while also covering the

material of a very dynamic curriculum. Flexibility in a class begins with trust and respect from

within. It should be known that this is a privilege that can be taken away, in order to obtain

classroom management. I want students to leave with knowledge and skills that they can actually

benefit from inside the classroom and out in the real world. If they can apply what they learn in a

class they are more than capable of applying themselves in life. As educators it’s important to

not be afraid to step outside of the curriculum and into other current issues. The categories of

philosophies that I fit best are existentialism, progressivism, and at times social

reconstructionism. I wouldn’t mind incorporating perennialism or essentialism into a classroom

from time to time but I didn’t have the best experience from the majority of teachers which abide

by that type of teaching. At the same time, I don’t want to end up like other teachers that refuse

to change or try new things because of their years of experience. Every school environment is

different so it’s up to us teachers to conform and have flexibility and an understanding of it.