Educational Philosophy Statement

My Educational Philosophy Statement

Madison Langston

Texas A&M University - Commerce

Robert Wolfe, Instructor

ETEC 424-01W

February 11, 2020

 Educational Philosophy Statement

When it comes to education, I believe there are many factors into what makes a teacher

a teacher, but also what initiates student engagement and/or learning. However, I have a

strong belief that what makes a classroom, teacher and overall education great goes back-and-

forth between teacher/student relationships, and having an authoritative classroom.

Between a student and teacher, there has to be a kind of trust between the two. For

example, the teacher must trust that the students will learn in the classroom, just as the

student trusts that the teacher will engage them in the classroom. While teachers must walk a

thin line between being a teacher and a friend to their students, I believe that it is doable, and

when done successfully, creates a relationship between the pair that carries on for years to

come. Teachers, I believe, must be completely there for their students, in more ways than

education. It’s their job to create a warm and inviting environment that achieves safety and

success in a classroom. Safety, in a sense, that allows for engagement in the classroom and

ensures that the student trusts the teacher enough to participate and learn in the classroom. A

way to ensure this trust and safety can be through an authoritative classroom management

plan.

Authoritative classrooms are centered on the student’s academics with gentle

reminders and allow the teacher to teach, not only their content, but also independence upon

their students. Teachers should be able to set goals that are realistic, even if they are small, as

well as teach the students revolved around real world scenarios, problems and solutions.

With educational principles, I tend to lean more towards giving feedback, whether

positive or negative (in a way that is both educational and worth the time), as well as setting

higher standards all of my students must achieve. A professor I am currently learning from has
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spoken about the latter policy she introduced in her classroom, and to me, it just makes sense.

If one sets goals that are higher than the highest achieving student’s expectations, that will

then challenge the entire class, rather than stunted other children’s growth with lesson plans

that are too easy and ponder to the lower achieving students. In their own way, everyone will

begin to grow and strive for excellence, no matter how big or small the steps are. Every student

must take a different learning path, and if that means setting expectations so high that it’s a

challenge, then that’s what I’ll do: challenge them.

Actually learning something, in my opinion, doesn’t mean drilling the content or single

lesson into someone’s brain until they know it forwards, backwards and sideways. To learn, you

must grow from the experience, and think about what it is that you learned and why. For

instance, when I was introduced to Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night, I was told that I must do

a cold read of the play. About halfway through all the thee’s and thou’s, I was just ready to get

the words out of my mind and say that I completed the assignment. I completed it, but did I

understand it? No! It was a horrible experience, and it wasn’t until college that I actually

understood every character’s motive, the dialogue, why Viola did this, why Sebastion loved her,

and so-on. In college, as a class, the play was read aloud over the course of a few weeks (not a

single night!), notes were taken for each scene within an act, and the professor ensured that

everything was translated into words the class was able to relate to and comprehend. So you

see, learning isn’t about assignments, tests and quizzes. It’s about the content or subject area

clicking, and being able to say, “Now I get it!”

So, when it comes to teaching, I think that as teachers, we have to understand two

things. One: our students are kids! Not just that, they’re humans that need stimulation, growth,
 Educational Philosophy Statement

and overall understanding to be able to thrive and excel outside of the classroom. Two: school

isn’t just about STARR, or whatever new state test the government comes up with in the future.

It’s about being engaged with our students, and making sure that they understand what we’re

teaching them fully, even if it means taking a little extra time for them to sprout.