Teaching Philosophy

Molly Ranger

Colorado State University

 Introduction

Karl Menninger, a famous American Psychiatrist once said: “What a teacher is, is more

important than what he teaches.” Read that quote again and really think about what it means. The

teacher is the most important first step in getting children excited to learn. Without a teacher who

is passionate, intelligent, empathetic, and excited, students will fall short to the subject at hand.

This is why having a strong teaching philosophy is so important. Having beliefs and goals about

how to stay true to those beliefs can distinguish a good teacher from a great teacher. Teachers

must feel passion and drive toward their subjects and toward their students to ensure that every

child leaves their classroom enlightened, knowledgeable, and excited about the world.

Education

Education holds more worth than we can ever give it credit for. It is important to

understand the value of education if we truly want to give all children the tools and skills to be

successful. I believe education gives all students a chance for success—especially in a classroom

aimed at equitability. Students come from a wide variety of backgrounds meaning they enter the

school system on different playing fields. As teachers we can level these playing fields by doing

something as simple as ensuring that each student has access to school supplies such as pencils,

paper, class materials, and anything else they may need. By having these tools available in our

classrooms, no child will feel as though they are at a disadvantage to their peers. Along with

making sure our students are okay in the classroom, we must also check in on our students on a

personal level. Something as simple as asking about one fun thing they did over the weekend or

what their favorite hobby is can help build classroom community in order to make that student

feel successful.
 Education gives students a place to gather and organize their thoughts and passions.

Because students come from such a wide variety of backgrounds, we must realize that for many

children, school may be the only place they can reflect on their interests and passions without the

distraction of the outside world. We can help students hone in on their skills and talents they may

not have even realized were possible. Something as simple as a weekly or monthly survey check-

in to see what students found most interesting about a lesson or to have them write one paragraph

about their hopes and dreams can make a huge impact. Another way we can help students hone

in on their interests is by giving them tools for self-reflection. We can do this by giving them

quick writes at the beginning of class or providing them 5-step plans to fill out which they can

continue to use for the rest of their lives.

Education allows students to explore their interests. While we help students organize

their thoughts and passions, it is also important to help them explore multiple interests at a time.

The value that education brings to students is that it never ties them down to just one persuit of

happiness—it can open many doors to many different exciting paths. As teachers it is our job to

open as many of these doors as we can. We can show students what is out there by giving them

access to resources like career-hunting websites or career fairs. We can also recognize a

student’s passion for something and help them dig deeper in exploration. If we see a student

show interest in a particular subject, it is important that we latch onto that spark and give them

the tools to explore it more—whether it be sending the student videos, websites, or just engaging

in conversation about the subject.

CTE

Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides students with applicable skills they can use

every day. I believe these skills are transferable to any career. We as teachers can help students
thrive in their future careers through providing them with skills nessesary for any work

environment. In today’s world we rely so heavily on technology that teaching students computer

technology skills can help set them apart in their career conquests. It is vital that students feel

comfortable and on-top of the current trends and requirements in a professional enviornement.

We also have the power to teach students how to be problem solvers. If a student is having

difficulty completing a task and asks us a question, rather than just giving them the answer, we

may instead give them the first step to figuring it out and let them figure it out for themselves.

This will enable true problem-solving mentality that helps them grow throughout their entire life.

CTE allows students to realize that college is not the only option. While many students

who participate in CTE programs do have the goal and intention of going to college, this is not

true for everyone. It is important that we help students see that there are other options to explore.

For example, some students who take shop class may not have the intention of going on to

college to become engineers, but may instead be interested in learning the trade of mechanics.

We can help that student look at programs after high school or explore other options to help them

pursue what they are passionate about. We can also help students achieve their post-graduation

goals by showing them websites or career fairs that have options for people who obtained a high

school diploma. We want to expand our student’s opportunities, not limit them.

CTE provides a space for nontraditional students to thrive. For some students, the

tranditional classroom environment may be difficult to learn in. These students may thrive in

settings where they are able to get up and move, use their hands, and think creatively. It is

important for CTE teachers to recognize that their class may be the first class a student has all

day where they are able to get up and move. In our classrooms we can give students the freedom

of choice and movement by giving them various options for projects theyre working on. This
could be giving them individual work time as well as collaboration time with peers. We can also

survey the needs of our students at the beginning of the school year to see what works best for

them and what doesn’t so we can shape our classrooms to best fit the needs of everyone.

FCS

Like CTE programs, Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) programs give students the

ability to explore career passions and learn applicable skills they will use forever. I believe FCS

classes are engaging and fun. The subjects offered in FCS are so differing and practical that

every student is likely to find at least one area of study that interests them. While the subjects are

enjoyable in themselves—like fashion, interior design, relationships, culinary, etc.—we can aid

in this by keeping our classrooms ever-changing and exciting. If we switch up the schedule and

keep students active in class participation, classroom engagement is likely to remain high. We

can also keep the classroom enjoyable by surveying our students and seeing what they are most

excited to learn about at the beginning of the year and then digging deeper into those areas when

the time comes—that way students will feel like they have control over their learning.

There are so many applicable careers and lifepaths relating to FCS for any walk of life.

The subjects of FCS are broad and helpful to any person and any walk of life. Learning skills

like how to cook, manage your finances, and engage in healthy relationships are all things that

anyone can benefit from. We can help students learn these skills by showing them how each

topic can be applied to the real world and real careers. If students know what they are gaining

from engaging in learning, they will be much more likely to show interest. We can also explore

different careers with them and give them access to resources that will show them how they can

use their skills in jobs that interest them.

 FCS gives students a voice through choice in their learning. Students are required to take

math, science, English, and history classes, but FCS provides a break from the rigid structure of

CORE curriculum and gives them choice in their own learning. Students may be interested in

cooking so they may choose to take a culinary class, or they may choose to take an interior

design class so they can one-day design and open their own restaurant. We can help students

have this autonomy by encouraging them to continue through their program of interest for

multiple semesters so they can become even more knowledgeable in the subject. We can also

give them even more autonomy by surveying them to see what they want to focus on and what

works best for them in the classroom. They could have options for watching videos, exploring

websites, class discussion, etc. Freedom of choice makes students more excited to learn.

Conclusion

Education is a powerful resource we must always be able to see the value in. It allows

students to explore, reflect, and pursue success. Enhancing these values with programs like CTE

and FCS can provide students skills, choice, engagement, and excitement about education. And

although these subjects are fun and engaging, it takes someone passionate about learning to teach

them. We must dig into our own values to build the teaching philosophy we want to illuminate in

our classrooms. If we are passionate and excited about the subjects we are teaching, our students

will join us and be excited to learn with us. Being true to who we are and what we believe will

differentiate the good teachers and the great teachers.