Teaching Philosophy

Aleigha Simerly
August 10, 2010
Professor Eastman

As a young child, I remember playing school with my little sisters

thinking of how big of an influence I was making on them. With all the
desks, the chalkboards, and old textbooks that got recycled each year,
I began to take teaching more seriously. I enjoyed making a difference
in their lives because I knew that they could look up to me for doing
the right thing for once. If I was not in my classroom at school, I would
be in my backroom teaching my sisters about addition and subtraction
or teaching them to read or write. Teachers always seemed to get to
me in a way that I cannot describe; they are the ones who influenced
me to become an educator. It was because of the teachers that I have
had in the past that I am striving to be a teacher and to help influence
the lives of young students throughout their lifetime. One day, I am
going to be teaching in my own classroom using the philosophies of
progressivism and existentialism. I am hoping that I will be able to
influence as many students as my teachers have influenced me.

I was in fourth grade when I decided that I wanted to become a

teacher because I volunteered my recess to help out in the special
education classroom. I was excited to be able to make a difference in
the lives by reading to the students and helping them with the
homework or coloring that they could not do by themselves. I felt
privileged to be able to help out and make a difference in the lives of
young students who were not capable of carrying out everything that

normal students could do. I heard all of the children in my grade

making fun of me because I gave up my recess to help out and make a
difference in the lives of other children around my age. From that time
on, I knew how important that teaching would be to me as I grew older
and strive to become more influential as I grew older.

Teachers have to encourage their students to achieve what is

needed, to create a caring environment where all the students feel
comfortable learning and know the knowledge that is needed to teach
the students. Teaching is not a very easy job because you have to take
into consideration all of the time that you are going to be spending
outside of the classroom to grade your papers, plan lessons, and
answer e-mails from concerned parents. I believe that teachers should
focus on the child, not the subject matter. The interests of the students
are very important because teachers have to use their creativeness.
The students reactions and feelings are important because you want
them to be able to share their feelings and how they think about
certain topics. Having students take tests is a huge way to measure
how the students are learning. I believe that testing students is not a
great way to make sure that all students understand what all is
happening in the classroom because you need to include hands on
learning and authentic tasks that are more interactive, like playing
basketball and using vocabulary words for the amount of shots. I

believe that the relationships that are used between students and
teachers help influence the success of a child.

Students will ask many questions as lessons are being taught. I

believe that when students ask questions, they are trying to better
understand the lessons that are being taught to them. I do not want
my students to solely rely on textbooks for learning but I want them to
be able to research topics and to create power points to better
understand the lessons. I will have to be able to prove to my students
that I know the information that is being taught to them; I have to
prove that I know and can understand fully all that they have learned. I
want them to be able to ask me questions about the topics without
being afraid. My goal is for each student in my classroom to
understand the information that is being taught to them daily and
allow them to apply it to their everyday life. I want my students to
think of me as an expert; I want them to be able to ask me any
question and for me to give them the correct answer.

I give each student an equal opportunity to understand the

topics that are being discussed in the classroom. I do not want there to
be any questioning in my classroom about who is smarter than another
person. Some students grasp certain concepts better than others; all of
my students will be able to fully understand all that is needed to be

known. I want their academic achievements to become a success so

that they can always rely on the information that they learned
previously. Teachers should not solely teach straight from the
textbooks because students become very bored of the text. You want
to include power points, internet, and handouts that involve the same
lessons. Students should not just have to memorize what is being
taught from the text; they should be able to pertain to the lessons in
relation with real world experiences. Teachers can influence students to
comprehend lessons throughout other ways than texts. They can
include new technology to allow students to become more engaged
with the lessons. Teachers should explain clear explanation so that
students fully understand the information that is being taught to them.
Teachers should challenge each of their students to achieve all that
they can.

As a teacher, I believe that progressivism and reconstructionism

are very important philosophies that each teacher should use. I believe
that childrens interests are more important than the subject matter
that is being taught. The curriculum should depend on each class you
have because each class has different interests; therefore, you should
not force your students to learn something that they do not want to
learn about and be able to impact their future. I think that each
students future should help them with problem solving skills to

discover the knowledge that they will need for their future. As social
reconstruction is concerned, I believe that schools should have a
potential to become something that they are not already. By providing
opportunities through field trips and other classroom activities, it will
continue to help the students learning and the development that they
achieve.
I feel like each student should have their own interpretations of
what is going on in the classroom. Also, I would want my students to
become independent and allow themselves to think of what could be
happening if they were not in the classroom environment. I think that
all children should participate thoroughly throughout the class; each
student should have input on each topic that is being taught during the
class. Each students opinion matters to me; I will take it into deep
consideration what they have said. I would also like to involve group
learning so that each group can have a say in what is being asked
throughout the lesson. Students share more when they are in groups
because being in groups allows students to give each idea that they
want included in the conversation and lesson plans that transpire from
their daily work.

I want to be the teacher that my students tell their parents that

they want to be like me in their future. I will be the type of teacher that
will always be there for my students for any problems that they ever

may have. I will teach my class by starting out with an activity that will
get their blood pumping for the day; some days, it may be a game or
others could be morning work. I will allow them to have a couple extra
minutes to make sure their homework is correct then have them turn it
in; I will then start my lessons for the day. I will allow them to ask
questions at anytime through the time that I am teaching; also, I will
allow them to ask throughout the day or after school. My whole focus is
for my students to succeed at whatever they dream to do; I will be
there to support them in all the decisions that they may make
throughout their life. I will have a tray for each of my students; I will
have their papers graded by the time that they come back the next
day. I plan on having a conference with all my students every two
weeks to see what they are struggling with and how I can help them.
Also, we will discuss how much progress that they have made since the
previous meeting. I think that student and teacher cooperation helps
play a key role in the progress that each student makes because the
teacher is a huge influence of how the student learns. Foremost, the
student is most important overall. The teachers main goal is to help
the student understand the content that they are supposed to know to
move on to the next grade level. This is why the teacher must teach
the curriculum in order to move her students onto the next grade. I will
teach my class with fun activities, like incorporating sports into
learning math. Also, I will teach by Power Points so that my students

can get a handout of what we went over to study for the test. I will
have reviews for all tests that each student fills out as we go through it
in class. A students learning environment plays a role in the way that
they will learn in your classroom.

My classroom will be set up in groups of four with a table in the

middle with a center piece and the supplies that they will need for the
day. I believe that students accomplish more when they are in groups.
Also, this helps them to learn to cooperate with each other and learn to
deal with problems that they might not deal with otherwise. My bulletin
boards will be changed weekly to help go along with the lessons that
we are having so that the children experience what we truly are doing.
I want to see my desk in the back so that I can oversee everything that
is going on throughout the school day in my classroom. I want my room
to be organized so that all students know how important organization
is throughout everything they do in their lifetime. The way your room
is set up will help the better the way that your students learn.

Each philosophical foundation is important but I believe that

progressivism and reconstructionism is the way that each teacher
should think. I believe that students interests are more important than
the subject matter because interests are more important. Problem
solving and learners being active lead the reflection of the experiences

that teachers conclude. My goal is to not only be a teacher to each

student, but I want to be a friend that will allow my students to talk to
me about problems outside of the classroom. I want my classroom to
be very active so that my students enjoy coming to class every day. I
want my students to be able to give their input on all of the topics that
we discuss. My students are more important than the curriculum; I
believe that I will be able to keep my students focused on all of the
standards that need to be taught even though we will be learning
through their interests.