Education Philosophy Statement :: Teaching Education Essays

Education Philosophy Statement As a sophomore, I was required to compile a genre of educational philosophies and create my own philosophy in the process. Today, as a senior I am required to â€Å"revise† that statement into one that is sophisticated and intelligent based on new information that I have received in the last two years. One instructor said to me, â€Å"Your view on educational elements may have changed,† and another said, â€Å"Randy, your philosophy on the way you view yourself as a teacher and the view of your classroom may have evolved into a more manageable, realistic perspective,† and they were both right. In the first draft of my philosophy, it states that I see myself as a teacher with an â€Å"eclectic† view on teaching children. Although I still believe in my â€Å"eclectic† ways because it gives the students and me a variety of ways to learn, it has â€Å"evolved† into a more specific, eclectic philosophy. For example, I stated that in my classroom the children would be involved with as much of the classroom decisions as possible. In contrast, I now believe that the instructor is the primary decision-maker allowing the students to give their input on certain situations and keeping their concerns in mind when making the final decision. Why do I feel that way now? I have observed two different schools and two different grade levels – an 8th grade classroom and a 12th grade classroom. What works in at one level does not work at the other, meaning, observing a teacher who incorporated the student government, so to speak, in her classr oom did not always succeed in getting anywhere in the end. I have learned that the students are not as diplomatic as I once believed, followed by the fact that the students do not always know what they want or what is the best for them as a class. While I am on the subject of observing classrooms, another area of my philosophy that I now view with a sophisticated, intelligent insight is extra-curricular activities.