Philosophy of Education

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was very young, and over the years I have been impacted

by many outstanding teachers. I want to follow their examples in the classroom while still

making it my own. I am studying to become a high school history and English teacher, and one

day I would love to teach Humanities in the classroom. As a teacher I want my curriculum to be

a combination of a discussion/lecture-based setting in order to facilitate learning and social and

emotional growth within and outside of the classroom setting.

I want to implement aspects of Progressiveness into my curriculum. Since I will be teaching

literature, I will be emphasizing critical thinking skills, as well as individual personal

development. I also personally believe that group discussions are essential to truly learning the

content from other people’s experiences. It is often hard for us to understand the content area

when we have never personally experienced those hardships that are faced by the characters in

the novels. It is very important to have these multiple views discussed in a safe space. As you

can gather, I want them to learn from novels and history and be able to apply it to their own

lives. In addition, I want them to come out of my class with a better understanding of the world.

A discussion-based curriculum has its weaknesses, but I hope that I can make my classroom

a safe place to discuss life’s issues. I want everyone to be involved in some way, whether or not

they are part of the class discussion. The students each have different abilities, whether it is

academics, theater, or athletics. I will implement many cooperative learning strategies into my

curriculum such as micro- group projects and acting out some Shakespeare plays. I want them to

be able to show off their creativity while still growing intellectually.

When I teach American history, I plan on implementing a different philosophy into my

curriculum, which is more focused on Perennialism. I will implement this philosophy by

focusing on the historical facts that are timeless, based on what we learn from them. In my

classroom, I plan for my history lessons to be more lecture-based than my literature classrooms.

Although I still plan on involving them in many discussions in order to ensure that they can think

critically and apply what they have been learning to both test questions and real-world issues.

Although I plan for my classrooms to be very discussion-based, I do not plan on being a

pushover when it comes to assignments and grades. I want them to learn responsibility and good

study habits that will help them succeed in school and in life. I have high expectations for their

success.

Overall, I want my students to enjoy and learn from my classes, as well as to grow

intellectually and emotionally. As a Lutheran school teacher, I also want my students to be able

to talk freely about Jesus whenever it is relevant without fear. It is truly important for me to get

to know my students and their parents as individuals and Christian adults in this world.