Erin Thomas

4/4/2012
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ~John Dewey

My Philosophy of Education
When people are asked to think of someone that helped them become who they are today,
how often does the name of a teacher come up? I was called to be a teacher my senior year in
high school. I struggled with the decision for a long time before I finally accepted what I was to
do. After that, I knew I wanted to be that person who changed a life or shaped someones future.
I wanted to be a leader and pass on my knowledge. Today, I cant think of anything that I would
rather be. Its up to me to not only to educate students but to show them the importance of
learning and what it will mean in their lives.
There are many purposes of education, several of which are shown throughout everyday
life. How would we be able to write if we were not taught things such as our alphabet, sentence
structure, and grammar? We have learned so much through education we forget that even the
simplest of things were once taught to us. Education is not only important in preparing us
mentally but also socially. It is within educational settings that we learn about good
characteristics and manners. In an educational setting we discover not only how to work with our
classmates but to think for ourselves. It allows us to explore our creativity and to use our minds
to think critically. Education is in everything we do and it gives us the ability to become our own
person, distinguishing us from one another.
No two people are alike, so naturally, there is diversity. When diversity comes to mind
we mainly think about race and culture, but there are many other ways to be diverse. Language,
gender, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical locations are just a few examples of the
diversity that I will meet as an educator. In my classroom, I must be unbiased and fair to each
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student no matter whom they are. Nccrest.org says, Teachers must create a classroom culture
where all students regardless of their cultural and linguistic background are welcomed and
supported, and provided with the best opportunity to learn. As a teacher I plan to make every
student feel welcomed, to do my best to know and understand them, and to find ways to bring a
piece of their backgrounds into the classroom.
Children need a good classroom environment to work in, physically and socially. On the
physical environment of my classroom: I believe the room must be clean and tidy every day.
Students are easily distracted by things; having an organized room will help keep their attention
on learning and not on the clutter around them. I believe that a classroom should be set up in a
way that it could swiftly be rearranged for activities, or if big enough, it should be sectioned into
different areas, such as a silent reading area or an activity rug. For the social environment a
classroom needs rules and expectations. Students need to know what is expected of them and
they need to know what actions are acceptable and which are not. Most important to a classroom
environment is me and the example I will provide for my students as a role model.
A huge responsibility lies on me as a teacher to not only be a person who is trusted to
lead the minds and shape the knowledge of children but to also shape their personalities and
behaviors. It is left in my hands to help my students be creative by being creative myself. I have
to think of ways to push my students to meet the goals the set for themselves. I should have
organized and well thought of lesson plans so everything is continuous and focus driven while at
the same time I need to be flexible. Sometimes it seems as if nothing goes as planned. If that is
the case I should have the ability to compensate for mistakes and continue teaching. Lastly, I
should be an encourager. All children need support, encouragement, and inspiration. It is
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important that they know and feel my support of their creativity and learning styles instead of
degradation.
Just as students may be physically diverse, they are also mentally diverse. Dyslexia
Victoria says, A typical K-12 classroom contains 30 percent visual learners, 25 percent auditory
learners and 15 percent kinesthetic learners, with the remaining 30 percent consisting of students
with mixed learning styles. How can I teach to fit the needs of every student? Most lessons
taught deal with both visual and auditory learning; the real challenge is finding a way to help the
fifteen percent of students who dont learn that way. In my classroom I will try my best to adhere
to all three learning styles. If on one day I am teaching an audio/visual lesson I may plan a
hands-on activity to go along with the lesson or use one as a review the next day. That way each
student will have a better chance to retain what they have learned.
Love, acceptance, safety, successthese are the basic needs of every person, especially
children. I have found that one of the best ways to provide these needs to my students is to
simply listen. When a student is able to talk with a teacher it provides a sense of care, safety, and
acceptance. Teachers tend to have favorites in their class simply because a student behaves better
than most or has as an attribute the teacher likes. Having no favorites is another way for me to
provide basic needs in my class. Each child will be treated the same. That way no students will
be left out. As for success, I plan to have every student write down their own goals and Ill
motivate them to achieve them so every child can be successful.
The curriculum in my class will not only revolve around the core information and
knowledge of the subject or subjects and their CSOs (content, standards, and objectives) but also
on lessons that teach about actions in everyday life. Students must be taught how to think
critically. This will develop problem solving skills which are a necessary for future
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opportunities. Knowledge is always changing; we discover something new every day. It will be a
part of my curriculum for students to think creatively, to find many answers to one question, and
to be open minded when it comes to knowledge. Socially, the students will have a chance to
interact with me but particularly their fellow students as I will have lots of group work and team
effort lessons.
There were many people who made a difference in my life, many of which were teachers.
It is my goal to be that difference to my students. They may find it through my equality or
fairness towards every student. It may be through my actions a leader and role model. They may
even find it by achieving the goals I helped them set for themselves. Its my ambition for my
students to walk out my classroom having knowledge and skills that will stay with them, and
they themselves may pass on throughout their lives. This is what I was called to be, and this is
what I want to be: an encourager, an inspirer, a challenger, a leader, and a life changer. I want to
be a teacher.










Erin Thomas
4/4/2012


Work Cited

1. Back to school quoted and sayings. Quotesgarden.com. N.p. May 17, 2011. April 2,
2012. Web. http://www.quotegarden.com/back-to-school.html
2. Learning Style (Auditory, Visual & Kinesthetic) & Dyslexics.
Dyslexiavictoriaonline.com. N.p. March 29, 2012. Web.
http://www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com/lestavikidy.html
3. Richards, Heraldo. Addressing Diversity in Schools: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy.
Nccrest.org. March 29, 2012. Web.
http://www.nccrest.org/Briefs/Diversity_Brief.pdf