Amanda Laymon

EDU 201

26 November 2018

Personal Philosophy of Education

I grew up in a family that is full of nurtures. My mom, sister, and I have always been the

ones that are drawn to children, and can get them to relax when they clearly aren’t. It’s easy for

me to relate to children and to gain their trust, which I think are skills that will come in handy as

I begin my teaching career. Gaining a student’s trust is one of the most crucial things in teaching.

It is what allows the student to open up and learn all that they can. I first thought of teaching

after I worked with my nephew on learning all of his letters and spelling his name. He had a joy

in his face whenever he got an answer right, or whenever something clicked in his mind. It

brought me a lot of joy to know that I had helped him to learn something. I quickly realized that I

wanted to help other children to learn the same things and to find that same happiness that he

had. I think CCSD will make it challenging sometimes to focus entirely on the students’ needs,

with all of the required tests they have, but I will do my best.

When it comes to my classroom, I want to help my students in the best way possible.

From the experiences I’ve had in school as a student, and in going to observe another teacher, I

have found that behaviorism is the most successful way of teaching. Students respond well when

they are given a reward. It gives them a goal to work toward, and goals are a great way to keep

them focused on what is important. I think history is one of the things that is most important.

Knowing how we have all gotten to where we are helps us understand who we are individually. I

have learned myself, through historical education events, that teachers need to care for their

students. Every event in history has helped to create equality in schools. They have provided
equal opportunities for different colored children, different gendered students, and so much

more. Every assessment is now directed at ensuring students are learning, and making sure that

they are going to be successful in their futures. These are the things that I want for my students

as well. I want to make sure they all know they are cared about and can do anything they set their

mind to.

I am aware that there is a wide variety when it comes to students. Some are visual

learners, some speak a different language, some are gifted, and some require special assistance.

Regardless of the situation, each student deserves to learn. This is why in my classroom I am

going to include all students. I will make sure that there are posters and books of every culture of

student. I will also ensure that I teach to all learning styles; my classroom will not be full of

student robots, but of engaged learners who think for themselves. I am going to use a mixture of

one on one assessments with each student, as well as written assessments that allow the students

to think silently. This will help me to see which students are struggling and which are

understanding the material.

In order to fulfill my goal of becoming a teacher I need to work on developing patience.

That is a quality I have on some days, and other days I don’t. I know that everyday in a

classroom is going to require patience with different students from different cultures and learning

styles coming together to work as one. However, I am only at the beginning of my teaching

career and still have a few years of schooling to complete before I can receive my teaching

license. My first priority is to complete my core classes of English and Math in order to take the

Praxis Exams. Then I will work on the rest of my credits and look into a substitute teaching

license. I think it will be a great opportunity for me to experience a wide range of classrooms and

students before I start my own. Then it will be time to get my teaching license and teach.