Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education involves understanding the students, with emphasis

on identifying their strengths and shortcomings. Each student is different; personality

traits, academic ability, and focus are all things you must take into account when dealing

with a specific individual. For example, as a high school student I never lacked academic

ability, nor did I have any social restraints that kept me from succeeding. I made lifelong

friends within both student and faculty sectors. My issue was always focus, and that is

something I understood more when a teacher decided to tackle that issue with me. She

took a different approach with me, stayed after school, and went beyond what was

expected of her. As a result of her approach, and relentless effort in getting me to focus

on education, she opened my eyes to see how much education truly means to an

individuals life. Because of her faith in me, I was able to graduate from college and

university with honours. She was also a major influence on my decision to work in the

field of education as a teacher. It is important to me that my future students understand

that I am there to help, and that their success means something to me as a teacher. As a

mentor, my philosophy is to leave no student behind, and to convey to my pupils that

their success is directly linked to my satisfaction and happiness as well. It is paramount

that they understand that we are all part of a team and that as a mentor I am invested in

their progress. My relationship with my students means a lot to me and it is important

that my work within the classroom reflects that as well. My philosophy includes building

a positive rapport with the students and providing an ideal atmosphere for them to learn

in. I feel that in doing so I will be able to get the most out of my students. They will be

more engaged, motivated, and enjoy learning, which will ultimately become contagious
for all involved. I am there to serve as a guide in their process of learning and

progression. Reuven Feuerstein believed that intervention from the teacher should occur

to guide students during the discovery process (Fogarty, 1999, p. 77). Again, this refers

back to my application of questioning. As my questioning skills increase I will be able to

guide my students during their inquiries. I will be asking questions that allow them to

think about why they did something and ask them to provide reasoning for it (Fogarty,

1999, p. 77). It is important to let my students express themselves and my job is to make

sure they feel comfortable enough to do so. I understand students learn in a variety of

ways, encompass different skill sets, and view tasks in different ways as well. As a result

of Howard Gardners genius we understand there are multiple intelligences (Fogarty,

1999, p. 77). He acknowledged that there were many different ways student could

express what they know and what they can accomplish (Fogarty, 1999, p. 77). My

philosophy will always be to put my students first and incorporate the strategies I feel are

best to set them up for success.