Petittism

Mission Statement
My mission as a teacher is to expand the intellect of my students in the area of
mathematics, mold young individuals into better citizens and students, foster critical thinking
through discussion and practice, maintain a desirable classroom environment and atmosphere,
and to ultimately enrich the lives of everyone I teach through my professional leadership along
with my understanding that all students can learn.
Learning Focus
As students learn mathematical skills in my classroom I want them to embrace key
foundational concepts and skills that will empower them to become better citizens and students.
I desire for all that I may teach to develop critical thinking as a skill so that they may seek truth
on their own. In addition, a focus on core content that produces the mathematical building
blocks essential for future learning within the subject is important to me. In my classroom
students will learn how to succeed academically, enabling them to achieve greatness in all
aspects of their educational journey. The skills and concepts presented in my class will be made
relatable to real world topics with the motivation of keeping math enjoyable and relevant. With
this idealistic model I believe that many of the students that I will interact with will collect
something from my class that will make them better individuals, citizens, and students.
Instructional Method
As the instructor I will establish myself as the authority on all matters in the classroom
but I will also encourage students to work together and to discuss openly. Specifically, how
subject matter is presented will be my responsibility. Given the nature of mathematics, lectures
will be a vital part of how I convey the information students need to learn each day. I will

provide daily practice both in the classroom and for homework so that my students can solidify
the newly acquired skills and information received in my class. On occasion, in-class group
work will be assigned as practice to enable collaboration with their peers and to nurture critical
thinking. I hope that in my classroom students will be encouraged to help each other succeed in
grasping some of the more puzzling methods involved in mathematics. Finally, I will make
myself available for questions and discussion at all times so that students feel comfortable
clarifying confusion. I believe that this unrestricted form of communication will allow my
students freedom to reason with me any subject matter they struggle to comprehend.
Classroom Climate
Just as every student can learn, likewise every student comes into each and every day
with their own voice. As the authority in the classroom I will control much of what occurs.
Proper behavior will be outlined by me and academic expectations will be expressed up front.
Conversely, I will not ignore the voices of my students and simply mandate what their learning
experience will be. I believe in the power of civil argument to enlighten both sides and for this
reason I will encourage debate and questioning. Even though much of math is concrete, other
issues such as discipline, motivation, and social behavior can come with varying points of view.
I will remain open to dialogue with any student who may have a concern in my class.
Classroom Organization
Given my instructional methods and classroom climate goals I believe in my authority as
the teacher. Therefore, I will want as much focus on the front of the classroom as possible.
Control of the environment will require that all desks/tables and chairs face forward. A focus on
my instruction will be a key component in every class. I will however find a way to organize the
students into groups sometimes so that they may work in partnership with one another. I will

aspire to have an inviting environment that promotes learning at the highest level including many
graphical displays on the walls such as posters and informational lists. I also want to have many
different resources and technologies available for the students to aid in their learning experience.
Overall I desire an organized area where students can focus on academic achievement and the
sharing of ideas with all involved in the learning process including myself.
Teaching as a Profession
When I teach I want my professionalism to shine but more importantly I long for each
and every student to recognize my conviction in their ability to learn. As a teacher, I
comprehend the magnitude of my responsibility to be a role model as well as academic guide.
Understanding the implications of establishing myself as the authority figure in the classroom it
is inherent that my values and morals be steadfast. Furthermore I will not require my students to
outperform any expectations that I would not reasonably obligate myself to accomplish. I will
maintain integrity in the spoken words that I release to my classes. Most importantly I believe it
is my responsibility to inspire each individual student, by displaying my confidence in them to
learn, every time they enter my classroom.

Historical Relations
Studying the many philosophies of education I found myself strongly aligned with
essentialism and constructivism. It makes for a somewhat peculiar combination when I try to
balance how I want to run things in a primarily teacher-centered classroom, while not neglecting
the voices and desires of my students. Even further, the lack of clarity among the traits that I
admire most within the four major schools of philosophy inhibited my ability to nail down my
own philosophical identity. However, pulling from idealism, realism, and existentialism I have
concluded that my educational philosophy is designed to encompass many schools of thought
making it a well-rounded approach to education.
As it is stated in our text essentialism holds that there is a common core of information
and skills that an educated person must have. (Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick, 2005, p. 105).
In the field of mathematics I find this to be particularly true. Each level of math builds upon
previous understandings and each level must be mastered before moving on to the next.
Therefore there are certain core concepts that must be learned in order to progress. On a broader
educational scale there are many skills that must be taught to develop a student socially,
cognitively, and even physically so that they may function not just as a student but as a citizen as
well. If conveyed appropriately the teaching of basic core information will help a person live a
productive life today. (Johnson et al., 2005, p. 105) I believe in the efficiency of education to
create productive citizens that will enhance society with the skills that they have learned. It will
be my task to teach these subjects with the understanding that School is a place where children
come to learn what they need to know, and the teacher is the person who can best instruct the
students in essential matters. (Johnson et al., 2005, p. 105)

Idealism sustains essentialism with its emphasis on lecture, discussion, and practice to
draw out what is already known. While realism upholds the essentialist philosophy by
embracing the concept that children can still learn absolute truth. Noting Immanuel Kants
ideals, the only way humankind can know things is through the process of reason (Johnson et
al., 2005, p. 84), I find myself in agreement and see the importance of the teacher to foster
reasoning through the previously stated idealistic methods. Yet I also identify with Aristotles
ideas about absolute truth being achieved through rationality. (Johnson et al., 2005) The
balanced approach of essentialism is what allowed me to agree with it so freely.
Constructivism caught my attention with its emphasis on hands-on, activity-based
teaching and learning in which students develop their own frames of thought. (Johnson et al.,
2005) Both parts of that definition are important aspects of the educational process to me but the
most significant is the focus of hands-on learning and teaching. I believe this is why practice,
repetition, and peer interaction is so vital to understanding in the classroom. I have already
stated my belief that everyone can learn but that does not go without also saying that everyone
learns through lecture alone. This is just one of the reasons that my philosophy included making
mathematics relatable to each student.
While much, if not most, of existential philosophy is not in agreement with my own I did
like the idea of the individual person finding his/her own place in this world. (Johnson et al.,
2005) Although it may seem contradictory to the tenets of existentialism I believe that a student
can achieve their identity and meaning through the assimilation of core concepts and skills that
were discussed earlier in essentialism. In addition, the value of a students voice can often be
found in their ability to articulate it. I believe that it will be my role to help each student grow

and gain the confidence to use their voice during the process of educating them in the
mathematical discipline.
The balance of a philosophy that includes both essentialism and constructivism is
precarious at best. However, I find its holistic approach appealing and a good fit with my current
opinions of the teaching profession. I desire to lead students to a better understanding of both
subject matter and themselves. I want everyone I teach to leave my class with a greater
knowledge of truth through discussion, practice, and rational thought. Most of all, I want the
children that I teach to leave my class as improved students, citizens, and individuals.