Teaching Philosophy

Growing up, I was always very aware that everyone learns at different paces. I knew

that just because someone wasn’t understanding something right away, it didn’t mean that they

were “stupid”. So, when I found out what the constructivism theory of education was, I realized

that it defines my philosophy of education. “Constructivism learning theory is based on the idea

that students actually create their own learning based on their previous experiences. Students

take what they’re being taught and add it to their previous knowledge and experiences, creating

a reality that’s unique to them” (Western Governors University, 2020). This means that people

coming from all sorts of different backgrounds will have different knowledge, and the information

that you teach them will just be added to their current knowledge. This will be unique to each

person, meaning that no two people have the exact same knowledge. I believe another

important aspect of this theory is that everyone interprets the information they learn in different

ways as well. This is not a bad thing, although some may see it that way. Different perspectives

on different concepts we learn are what got our knowledge so far as a society today. That’s why

I believe that the constructivism theory of education is the most important, especially when it

comes to the way that I want to teach.

Since I started furthering my education toward a degree in secondary education, my goal

is to learn as much as I can and get to teaching as fast as possible. The world needs teachers,

and they need them now. Schools are so desperate these days, that they’re willing to hire

anyone. No offense to other educators these days, but this is a little scary to me. I think that this

can cause problems for many kids if they have to learn from individuals with little to no

educational training. “When schools can’t hire qualified teachers for vacant positions, they may

increase class sizes, cancel course offerings, or hire uncertified individuals to fill positions. High

rates of underprepared teachers in a district decrease student achievement and, since they are

more than twice as likely to leave the profession as fully prepared novices, exacerbate teacher

turnover” (Garcia, Brookings Institution, 2022).

 This quote also brings me to another point. School can be the most stable environment

that a student has in their life. During some tough times with my family, school was the one

place I could still have fun and get away every day. I would be with my friends and mentors, and

could forget about the real world for a bit. With teacher turnover these days, schools are

becoming just another place of change for students to witness. That’s why when I begin working

for a school, I plan to stay there long term. Having those teachers in my life for years instead of

just one semester or even shorter, made life easier. I’m personally all about the students and not

about the money or benefits. I plan to plant roots where I go and grow as much as I can.

I believe that every person should be taught, but should also teach. Everyone can learn

from one another in different ways. Especially when it comes to math and all of the different

ways problems can be solved. Going back to the constructivism theory, everyone has different

knowledge. Everyone has different perspectives on things, and this could be very beneficial for

others to learn. So, everyone needs to be open to learning from others and also to sharing their

knowledge. The classic quote “knowledge is power” comes to mind, and in a constantly

changing world, we need all the knowledge we can get.

This is also important when it comes to students of different races or cultures as well.

Everyone deserves an equal learning opportunity no matter what. I will never praise one student

more than another due to this difference. I will do everything in my power to make sure that

every student feels safe and comfortable in my classroom at all times. If this is ever

compromised, I will take charge of the situation and handle it accordingly. Everyone should have

the same opportunity to learn and share their knowledge no matter their background.

I believe that I should teach everything I can. Some of the best teachers in my life taught

me things that I see as more important than algebra. They taught me life lessons.

I had teachers who were more worried about my mental health than whether or not I got an

assignment turned in on time. Teachers should be your guides to life and not just the strict

course content. While learning about content is very important as well, primary school is one of
the most influential times in children’s lives. I want to be able to teach a child that life gets

easier, or how important trust is. But, I also want to be able to teach them that y = mx + b is the

slope-intercept formula. I want to be able to share as much of my knowledge as appropriate and

possible. The only way for the world to have a future is for it to learn from its past.

There is one thing that I really want to make sure to do with my students is to teach them

how math applies to real life. I can’t even begin to count how often I hear someone say, “But

when am I EVER going to use this”, so the key is to show them. Discuss managing money,

cooking or baking, figuring out distance or time, home decorating, playing music, and so much

more. These are all things that many people don’t think of as math but really are. Helping

students understand that no, they may not use the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus every

day, but their basis of knowledge has helped them to get to the point so that they can learn it

and potentially use it in the future whether it is in a job or helping their children with a math

problem.

I believe that I should teach in a very productive way. I know growing up, some of my

teachers had us watch movies or videos in class instead of learning more of the content. While I

think that break days are essential for both the students and the teacher, I believe it is very

important to teach the students that learning never stops and that it gets more fast-paced as you

heighten your education. Planning on being a secondary educator, I think it is vital that I teach

my students in a way that prepares them for their path in life, whether it be going to college or

beginning a job right away. The world doesn’t stop turning for someone to catch up,

unfortunately, and this is something that I want to incorporate into how I teach.

As I previously mentioned, I do wish to build important relationships with my students.

The difficult part is finding the balance between being their friend and being their educator. I did

some research on what is important in the balance of the teacher-student relationship and found

some helpful points. Establish respect first, enforce your rules, manage cell phone use, get to
know your students, and use good judgment (Eulberg, Western Governors University, 2022). I

think these are great steps to follow and I hope to implement them in my classroom one day.

Teaching can be a very complicated profession, but I’m ready to take on the challenge. I

hope to follow this as a guide in the future and use it to benefit me. I believe that it's very

important to put your personal philosophy into words before taking on the challenge of teaching

the youth. I hope that this at least gives me a headstart in my career, and prepares me for what

lies ahead.
References:

Eulberg, J. (2022). 5 Keys To Establishing a Healthy Teacher-Student Relationship. In Hey

Teach. Retrieved from

https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/5-keys-establishing-healthy-teacher-student-relatio

nship1808.html

Garcia, E., Kraft, M. A., & Schwartz, H. L. (2022, August 26). Are we at a crisis point with the

public teacher workforce? Education scholars share their perspectives. In Brookings.

Retrieved from

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2022/08/26/are-we-at-a-crisis-

point-with-the-public-teacher-workforce-education-scholars-share-their-perspectives/

Western Governors University. (2020, May 30). Five Educational Learning Theories. In WGU.

Retrieved from

https://www.wgu.edu/blog/five-educational-learning-theories2005.html#close