My Teaching Philosophy

By Cameron Harrison

“Education is not to be viewed as something like filling a vessel with water but, rather,

assisting a flower to grow in its own way.” Bertrand Russell.

I think Bertrand Russell said something here that is lost in modern education, this is a

concept that to many in the field of education just seems like nonsense. But to me, this sums up

exactly what our roles as teachers should be currently but also in our future. Education is not a

one size fits all, what works for one student may not work for the child next to them. My role as

a teacher is not to force my students to learn facts or useless knowledge, but to help them find a

way to buy into their own education.

My journey into the career of education started off with being a K-5 paraprofessional at a

local elementary school. I had never considered teaching, or working full time with children but

once I started working as a para, I found that there was nothing else I wanted to do. After

working as a paraprofessional for four months I decided that I wanted to become a certified

teacher, this was a big step in my journey. Whether I knew it or not, that decision to pursue my

education degree ignited a fire underneath me that I even now, after two years of schooling I am

still excited about my choice.

My teaching philosophy is based around existentialism, but that view doesn’t only pertain

to education, but I also hold that philosophy as the way I try to live my life. America’s education

system is so blandly structured that because it relies to heavily on standardized testing and the

expectation that all students must learn the same and absorb the same material. I however feel

that this is where education is failing, failing each student, and also failing our country as a
whole. Education is more than just about reading, writing, and arithmetic; it needs to be about

what each student is interested about. This will allow each student to buy into their own

education, it also teaches them that they are in control of their future. We need to teach students

that there is no correct path through life, and that it is up to them to figure out what they want to

do with their future.

I believe that students should be allowed to explore their innate interests, I want to

encourage my students to be themselves because that I so much more important that fitting in

and being just another cog in the wheel. When education is self-paced, self-directed, this gives

room for students to unleash their own creativity instead of just copying and regurgitating the

same old material. When students are invested in their own education, they show a sense of

pride, happiness, worth and I believe that these are qualities that authoritative and conservatism

teaching methods tend to stunt.

My classroom management system, setup, and styles are based around different education

concepts and ideals, but I pull many ideas from The Kennedy School of Design, Love and Logic,

and having a structured classroom. By designing my classroom in a way that invokes, structure,

consistency, free-thinking, and a class where each student is valued and appreciated, then I feel

like I will be able to help my students not only learn but also find out who they want to be.

Because in the end, there is only one of them so they should see themselves as unique. Which is

important, they should feel like they can be themselves in my classroom and they should be

excited about what interests them.

To me, more than anything else, education is about the student. Not what society wants

them to learn, or their families, or even what their religion dictates. It is up to each student, and

each person to pursue their dreams and to become who they want to become. As a teacher, I am
doing my job correctly if I know that my students are happy, and that they are comfortable with

themselves because in the end that is who should matter the most to them. They each and all

matter, and I will know I have done my job when my students are proud to be who they are.