Running Head: EDUCATIONAL PHILOSPHY 1

Artifact Assignment #1
Educational Philosophy
Pier A. Shoates
EDU 202
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I am choosing the profession of teaching because I have been a support staff professional

at CCSD for the past eleven years, where I have encountered some amazing teachers and

students. Students always come into my office for advice, information, or “just to hang out.” I

have had students come back after they graduate and tell me that I influenced them when they

were in school or that they remembered something that I told them. That is always a good feeling

to me. I still have several more years to work so I have often thought what it would be like to be

a teacher in the classroom. I just thought that it was too late for me to pursue a career in

education. I am also pursuing this path because I still find teaching a noble, respectable career. I

think it is a profound way to contribute to future generations. Most of the teachers I know teach

because they love what they do and find it very rewarding.

Reflecting on my own formative years, there were several teachers who influenced my

life in so many ways and helped shape who I am today. The positive influences those teachers

had on me will make me a positive role model for the students I will teach. Although the times

are different, the basic concepts they taught are still the same. For example, my first grade

teacher, Ms. Linder, gave me the desire to read because she taught the class how to read upside

down. I could not wait to show off this skill to everyone in my family. I grabbed every book,

magazine and newspaper just to show that I could read upside down. I did not know it then, but

what Ms. Linder really gave me, was a love for reading and this skill allows me to seek and share

knowledge and serves me well to this very day.

My sixth grade English teacher, Sister Agnes Charles (who we affectionately referred to

as Sister Aggie Chuck) not only taught me English, grammar, spelling, and vocabulary, but

discipline, respect, and the importance of punctuality. I played the flute in Middle school and I

had practice just before Sister Aggie Chuck’s class. This would most often make me late. I could
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always be sure that she would embarrass me in front of the entire class. I learned early to have

my lessons fully prepared the night before because as soon as I arrived late to class she would

call on me and expect me to stand up at my seat and answer the question as if I had been there all

along. I had to be fully prepared to avoid any further embarrassment. Her tactics may not have

been the best but the English grammar skills combined with the discipline, respect and

punctuality gave me another great skill set that serves me well.

I could literally name awesome teachers that have had major influences over my life from

Kindergarten through college but I will not. However, I will mention one more, Ms. Claiborne.

Ms. Claiborne taught me how to be an effective writer. She did it by using a simple technique

she referred to as Bing, bang, bongo. Bing means develop the initial idea and thesis of the essay,

bang is the middle (meat of the essay as she called it) and bang concludes or “drives your point

home.” I felt it important to mention these three teachers because I want to teach High School

English and I think that those teachers gave me the main skills that will serve me well. Starting

out as an older teacher who has been in the school district for eleven years, I feel that I have a lot

of experience and knowledge about life in general that will serve me well.

My field observation helped me understand the teaching environment because I got a

chance to observe it from within the actual classroom. Although I am around the school climate

five days a week, it is quite different from being inside the classroom. I got a chance to see

teaching from the teachers’ perspective and learning from the students’ perspective. The

observation helped me better understand what goes into the teachers’ preparation and what

motivates teachers to do the work that they do.

My educational philosophy is a mixture of different philosophies. I believe in the

essentialist philosophy because I think it is important to have a strong foundation in the core
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disciplines such as English, math, science, foreign language, literature, and history, etc. I just

think if students do not master these areas they cannot compete in the world on a larger scale, be

it in college or in the job market. You cannot know what it is you do not know if you do not

know the basics. I understand that there are different learning styles among students. I am willing

to address that perhaps with peer- to- peer coaching techniques if possible, but I feel that a strong

basic knowledge of core subject matter is necessary.

My knowledge of historical events as it relates to education also dictates my belief that

education should include a multi-cultural aspect. In the past females and children of color were

denied equal opportunities for education based on their gender and race. Today’s society is

changing rapidly and as teachers, we must constantly make adjustments to include textbooks and

materials that are inclusive. We must connect the past to the present and prepare a pathway to the

future. In the media, there is talk about getting rid of certain textbooks or statues or songs, etc.,

because they are too male or too racist. I think we have to teach the lessons of the past (they were

not all good) and be more inclusive with our lessons in the present and future. I believe in the

educational philosophy of preparing young people for practical parts of life like paying bills,

managing a bank account, and paying taxes, etc. I think classes like personal finance are a good

addition to the high school curriculum. My educational philosophy also includes service

learning. Combining learning for high school students with community service in the

neighborhoods where they live and may work someday is a great way to give them an idea of

what they might actually want to do for their life’s work.

My psychological orientation is a constructivism view of education. That is, I believe that

students should be shown how to connect information that they have learned in the past and link

it to the new information that they learn. As a teacher it is not merely my job to feed information
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to students, but rather to challenge them to think critically to find ways to solve problems on

their own. As their teacher I will offer them suggestions, examples and challenges to help them

see “both sides of the same coin.”

The strategies that I will implement will have to do with the student population that I

teach. I will implement a multi-cultural approach by selecting material (lessons and books) that

represent the diverse student population that I teach. I would like to implement peer-to- peer

tutoring programs that challenge the more gifted students to tutor or assist the students who are

struggling. I believe that all students could benefit greatly from service learning projects and

working together in groups with students who have backgrounds that are different from their

own. My approach to learning, student diversity, student variability, and assessment will depend

largely upon the student population itself, the administration I am working under and the

guidelines set forth regarding student assessment. I feel that there will always be a need to adjust

and reevaluate because the student population changes each year and therefore so will the needs

for instruction.

As a teacher, I need to possess the qualities of a role model. I need to be honest,

trustworthy and open-minded. I also think that flexibility and dependability are important

qualities for a teacher to have. I should also be highly qualified and knowledgeable in my subject

matter. The specific steps I will take moving forward, in order to achieve my goals are to finish

my course work at CSN, take the Praxis exam, and transfer to UNLV. Once I complete my

course work at UNLV (including the Praxis II, and student teaching) and graduate with my

Bachelor’s degree I will seek a teaching position with CCSD.

I will probably not wait more than a semester before I enroll in school again and begin to

work on my Master’s degree in Education. I am not sure yet what I will focus on for my Masters
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but I know that I will get a Masters, most likely also from UNLV or SNHU. In the meantime, I

will continue to engage with the student body by attending athletic events, plays, and

volunteering as a judge at speech and debate tournaments whenever I am available. Right now,

as a support staff employee, I am surrounded by several amazing teachers who freely give me

advice and share with me their years of experience. I feel that I have positioned myself

sufficiently and I am on track to achieve my goals.