EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY PAPER

I am aware that as a reflective practitioner I need to continually evaluate the effects of my

choices and actions, especially, because I strongly believe that kids are the reflection of the

adults around them ( our society). I chose to be a teacher because I consider myself someone

that can be an inspiration for them, and myself will be reflected on my students attitudes,

therefore, they are going to be my inspiration to work harder towards self improvement, every

time,and every day.

I can be an inspiration for my students because I was raised in a home with morals, and I

learned to respect everything and everybody around me. I learned to love and care for others .

And I know myself capable to inspire students by being respectful, caring and understanding

with them, I am sure that after they understand my philosophy, they will love my class; therefore,

they will be inspire to do not better, but the best of them to grow up and be the same, loving and

caring with the ones around them.

Based on the fact that kids are the reflection of the adults, my students will inspire me to do

the best of myself, so together we can make our little world better, happier for all around us.

My inspiration to teach are my children, because I have proven with them that working

together can make a happier and more comfortable world to share with everybody else. I also

think that sharing what we know with others, is a selfless fight to eradicate illiteracy. During the

field observation time I have experienced the positive environment that comes from youth and

their desire to learn. The teachers I have been working with are so good at controlling the class

effectively and making students participate in discussions and activities, it looks so easy, that I

kind of forget everything it takes to accomplish that. I recognized that knowing the content very

well is not enough to be a teacher, culture, traditions,and customs can set up a very unfair
experience for the teachers and students who are not open and available to accept differences

from others. We have seen it throughout our social history.

As a future teacher, I believe that education should be applied with the philosophy of

student-centered, not authoritarian teaching but more focused on “individual needs ,

contemporary relevance, and preparing students for a changing future” (Teachers,Schools,and

Society by Karen R. Zittleman, page166).

According to the book, My criteria falls on the philosophy that believes all humans are the

same regardless color, race, and religion, therefore we deserve to fight for a better

environment,and a better society. I am supposed to be seeking fairness and order in society,

This philosophy encourages students to learn and find the answers to fix problems in the

community like “Racism, sexism, climate change and environmental pollution, homeless,

poverty, substance abuse, homophobia, and violence” (Zittleman, p. 168)..We as students and

teachers are supposed to find opportunities to grow intellectually and emotionally, that is why I

believe that acceptance, patience and caring about others are the main qualities that will

achieve not only such reconstruction in our world, but also they will inspire students to fight

ignorance.
 .. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Thinking about education, there are two and probably the most important questions to ask

about it, what is it, and what is the purpose of it. Debating how education should be,

philosophers came up with different ideas on what and how teachers should be educating the

essential subjects and topics in life to their students, with the purpose to make possible for

these students to function in society.

Philosophers exposed their ideas of what the teacher’s curriculum should be looking like and

based on those ideas, we can separate them in two main types of education, Traditional, or

progressive.

In the traditional type, there is a specific curriculum, whether it would be math, science,

philosophy, history or reading, students have to sit down orderly and obediently in the

classroom to listen to the teacher to learn. Therefore it is the job of the teacher to make sure

students learn all the traditional ideas of what society should be. That is why it is called

teacher-centered approach

On the other hand the philosophies that are considered within the progressive education are

more student- centered where teachers guide and help students to investigate o analyze a

topic, either inside or outside the classroom. Teachers are expected to motivate students to

contribute knowledge with their own ideas and opinions by field trips or environmental activities
and sometimes students get into democracy as well due to the fact that such experiences allow

them to be more aware of their surroundings and they are more involved on problem solving .

I this two types of education there are five different philosophies that each of them can be

either more traditional or more progressive, according to the way the instruction is given. The

two first ones (Essentialism and Perennialism) are considered traditional education because the

learning comes from the teacher instruction, based on the everlasting ideas that come from the

great philosophers from the past. The other three philosophies (Progressive, Social

Reconstructionism and Existentialism) are considered student- centered, therefore they fit in the

progressive approach of education.

ESSENTIALISM: Focusing in understanding the first philosophy as a teacher-centered

approach is what this educational philosophy is about. Essentialism is based in the traditional

academic topics as Math, Literature, Science, History and philosophy. The leader of this type of

education was William Bagley, since World War II, his ideas were that education should start

from the basic, “The essentials of academic knowledge, patriotism, and character”

(Teachers,Schools and Society. By Karen R. Zittleman, p. 162). Creativity was important for the

students to learn and if they would not mastered the first techniques, students will not move on

to next level.The leader of essentialism is Arthur Bastor.

PERENNIALISM: This is the second and last philosophy from the Teacher-centered

approach, even though it seems very similar to perennialism, this one focuses more in

promoting essential human skills, they were more liberal but still very conservative. Their study

comtemplates the everlasting ideas from the Historical thinkers as models. It’s leader was St.

John’s College “The best known example of perennialist education unaffiliated with any

religion.They were based on principles not in facts With the idea that students were humans not

machines, they promoted essential skills for student personal development. Their academics
comprehended, English, Languages, History, Philosophy, Math, Natural Science and Fine arts.

Reassessing traditions and morals.

The first philosophy considered as student centered is progressivism where they are

focused on the students’ experiences. Students learn by doing, they can use field trips, where

they can learn about history, geography, and natural science. Relating all learning activities to

find meaning, They are trying to become intelligent and problem solving, who are prepare to live

comfortably in this world. The leader for this philosophy Mortimer Alder.

SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTIONISM: This is student-centered to focus on social, political and

economic needs. Learning is supposed to be about reconstructing society, being aware of

hazards for all of us and looking for solutions to help the poor. The activities that students

should be doing are coming up with ideas that will solve society problems to make this world

happier and more comfortable to live in. George Counts wrote a book about reforming society.

That is why he is considered an educational leader for that philosophy.

PROGRESSIVISM: John Dewey was trying to make a big change in education, no more

teacher-centered lectures.He believed that teachers were supposed to be like a facilitator for

students literacy. He also thought people learn through social interaction. Therefore, the

students will learn by doing and experimenting. Indeed, this means that students will work on

small groups with projects of their own interest. Normally around subjects like history,

geography, and natural science.

EXISTENTIALISM: Mr. A.S. Neil believed that it should be the student that determines their own

pace and direction of their own learning. A.S. Neil was the founder of Existentialism in 1921.

This education philosophy focuses a lot of attention on the subjects of poetry, prose, and

painting. Building and supporting individuals to pursue that which inspires them, is the central

tenet of Existentialism, according to A.S. Neil in his book titled Summerhill. This philosophy
emphasizes on the fact that students have a choice, and they should learn by their own

mistakes as they guide themselves into learning. This way, it is theorized students make up

their own learning system tailored and individualized to their own specific needs.

It is important to note that the many educational philosophies covered are far from being

the only theories and philosophies that mold our current educational institutions. These five

educational philosophies, Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Social Reconstructionism,

and Existentialism offer the main principles that are shaping today’s education.