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Educational Philosophy

Emily Hubbard

11/14/2017

Carson Newman University

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Education is an important part in any child’s life. There are a lot of things that come

together to create a good educational environment for students. The past few years what I hear

from a lot of people is that “children are our future, and we need to educate them the best we

can”.

Education can be defined in many different ways. I think education is a system of

instruction that can be given at a public or private school. Students go to school, where they will

learn information over a period of time. School and education go together for many reasons. The

one main reason they go together is because school is where students go to learn. They will be

educated over a time of about 13 years. Schools need to create an environment that is welcoming

to all students. I think the more students are involved in school and feel welcome, the less likely

they are to miss school. The article What is Democratic Education says that “young people are

seen as active co-creators of their own learning”. (democraticeducation.org, 2017 ) I think

culture and society do have an effect on education. Every student comes from their own cultural

background. I think society plays a small role in education. It is important for schools to have the

support of people in their community. Some students have been learning in a way that could

relate to their culture, so as the teacher I need to understand their culture and figure out what they

best way they learn. Over the years I have learned about different learning styles. There are a few

different learning styles that we talk about visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Visual learners learn

better by seeing. If a math question is being discussed they learn better by seeing it worked out

step by step. Auditory learners learn by listening. Kinesthetic learners learn better by doing,

instead of seeing something done or listening about something. I have learned that I am a visual

and kinesthetic learner. If I have to sit and listen to a lecture, it is highly likely that I will zone

out and not remember anything that is being talked about. The role of a teacher plays an
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important role in the classroom. Teachers have to know and understand the standards that they

have to teach. They have to come up with ways to assess their students that can also be beneficial

to their learning. They have to come up with an instructional method that will help all students

when it comes to teaching or giving instruction. There are a lot of qualities that teachers need to

be able to create an instructional method that will reach all students. They need to have patience,

creative, organized, and understanding. I think those are some important qualities that a teacher

needs to have when it comes to finding a way to teach all students.

When I first started out in school I was going for nursing. After a year and a half taking

nursing classes, I realized that nursing is not what I want to do. I took some time and thought

about my life and prayed about what I should do. I have always loved getting to work with

children, wither it be in school, teaching dance, or babysitting. I love to see them get excited

when they accomplish something they have been struggling to achieve. One summer I took care

of a little girl that really challenged me. She taught me to have a lot of patience, and there always

seemed to be something off about her but nobody was willing to fight for her and find ways to

help her. It was that summer that I decided I wanted to work in education, but I wanted to

become a special education teacher. I want to be able to fight for students who need help and I

also want to help those that do have someone other than a teacher fighting for them. Getting to

work with some kindergarten students and teaching dance classes, when I begin my career in

education I will probably use progressivism as my foundation of instruction. Progressivism is

more of learn by doing, and I think many students would benefit from this type of instruction. In

the article Progressive Education: How Children learn it says “Progressive education that is

based on experiential learning is often considered to be the best way for a student
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experience real world situations” (thoughtco.com, 2017 ). I think it is important for students to

learn a little about real word situations before they are graduated. There are some classes in high

school that students can take to help prepare them for the real world and I think those are very

beneficial if the student takes them serious.

I have learned a lot about UDL or universal design for learning. The National Center for

Universal Design for Learning says that “ instructional goals, methods, materials, and

assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible

approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs” ( udlcenter.org, 2017 ). I

think I will use this in my future classroom because it is a way to help all students and not just

certain ones. I have a lot of patience, and I think that is a good quality to have when it comes to

creating new instructional methods. Being understanding an open minded are also qualities I

have. I need to be understanding when it comes to students struggling and they aren’t

comprehending what is being taught. Having an open mind I can come up with a creative way to

teach it or I can ask my students individually what they are struggling on, and then come up with

a way to teach the lesson an all students be able to comprehend better than before. Along with

the good qualities I have some things I think I need to work on. I have learned about lesson plans

but I am still trying to understand everything. I also struggle with time management. Once I

completely understand how to complete an accurate lesson and manage the time I spend on each

thing, I will be more effective as a teacher.

Teachers, school, and education all play an important part in a childs life. We help educate them

and help them grow as a human beings. Students see teachers almost if not more than they see

their own parents. As teachers we have to be able to recognize when a child is struggling and
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needing help. We need to create a welcoming, fun, and caring environment at school that way

students will want to come to school, and they won’t feel like it is something they have to do.

Education is important to all students and as a teacher I want to do my best to educate students,

and help them do the best they can at whatever they do.
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Works Cited

Kennedy, R. (n.d.). Progressive Education - How Children Learn. Retrieved November 14, 2017, from

https://www.thoughtco.com/progressive-education-how-children-learn-today-2774713

What is Universal Design for Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from

http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl

What is Democratic Education? (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from

http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/features/what-is-democratic-education/