My Pedagogic Creed

By definition pedagogy is the method and practice of teaching while a creed is set of beliefs or aims that

guide someone's actions. So I have to ask myself what are the beliefs that will guide me as a teacher? What will

my creed be? I believe all teachers have a belief system they start out with to begin with and over time it

changes and evolves. What education is, what school is, the subject matter of education, the nature of method,

and finally the school and social progress are all factors of my belief system as a teacher.

I believe education should be an enlightening experience not only for the student but also for the teacher.

Both sides should teach and learn and forever continue to grow as human beings. The more humanity learns and

understands, the less likely we are to make mistakes. In 1897 John Dewey stated, " I believe that the only true

education comes through the stimulation of the child's powers by the demands of the social situations in which

he finds himself." (p.77) I took this to mean that a child will only learn when he or she is motivated to learn. It

will be my job to keep my students interested and to guide their journey in the discovery of the world. A

student's education will forever be my number one priority and I believe if I stick to that goal, I will not fail as a

teacher.

It is my belief that a school is to learning as a church is to religion. It is simply a building in which we

come to learn. It would be nothing without the people in it therefore I must conclude that a school is the

students and teachers not the brick, wood, and stone that form it. A school is the idea of learning and ideas can

change lives. (Cookson, Sadovnik, & Semel, 2013, p.182) A school should be wonder and excitement along

with joy and inspiration. A school should prepare the students that walk through its doors to succeed in life,

wherever that might take them. Children should have a safe place to express their ideas and discuss their own

beliefs and what better place then one of learning? I believe if all teachers were to treat school as more of a

place to form ideas rather than a place the system forces standards onto, the entire world could benefit.

I believe the subject matter of education should consist not only of textbooks and standards but also

what children want to pull from the outside world. We have to ask ourselves what is the point of education? Is it
to memorize thousands of separate facts simply to forget later, or is it to discover the world one subject at a time

until we understand it in its entirety? I believe subject matter should be more of an exploration by the students

and teacher together. We will always have a need for guidelines and boundaries but who is to say what those

boundaries should be. If every child in a classroom got to pick a subject they wanted to explore thoroughly, a

class could grow together by getting to know each other's likes and dislikes. It has never been my way to tell

people what they should believe or how they should believe but I do think children should be given the chance

to learn more about culture and each people's history and beliefs. Perhaps there would be less violence in the

world if we simply understood and respected one another at a young age. I believe if our subject matter were a

little more varied, we could get a chance to understand more differences.

I believe the methods of teaching are merely strategies that are determined partly by subject matter and

partly by the nature of the learner. Teaching methods have to be adapted to each and every class that comes in

because no class is exactly the same. It will make no difference what I teach if the students are not engaged and

willing to participate however so by keeping my methods more learner based and inclusive, students will be

more open to the content. My goal is to one day be bilingual so I can stand at the front of a class with English

Language Learners and confidently teach them the curriculum they will need to succeed in the classroom. Until

that day, my method of teaching will have to include translating key words and making sure I include visual,

auditory, and kinesthetic properties in my lessons to get my point across.

I believe that school will forever be a reason social progress will continue to make leaps and bounds.

Plato believed the world was in a constant state of flux therefore constantly changing. (Cookson, Sadovnik, &

Semel, 2013, p.181) I have to agree with his theory especially when it comes to a school. We should always

question what is accepted to be the truth, we should always break barriers whenever possible. If schools where

not constantly changing, I as a woman would not have been welcome to a university. Schools and social

progress really go hand in hand because it is education that allows people to realize that changes need to be

made throughout history. Reform tends to start first at the school level because it is so important for our future

generation to get the best education possible.

 In conclusion what education is, what school is, the subject matter of education, the nature of method,

and finally the school and social progress all go into what makes up my pedagogic creed. Teachers have to

decide what kind of teacher they want to be, how they want to teach, the way they want to teach yet are so

limited on what we get to say and what we get to teach. I believe we teachers must go with the flow and simply

work with what is available while still sticking to our own moral compass.

References

Cookson, P. W. & Sadovnik, A. R. & Semel, S. F. (2013). Exploring Education: An Introduction to the

Foundations of Education. New York, NY: Routledge.

Dewey, John (1897) 'My pedagogic creed', The School Journal, Volume LIV, Number 3 (January 16,

1897), pages 77-80.