Running Head: MY PHILOSOPHY ON EDUCATION

My Philosophy on Education
Julie Petrowski
IVY Tech Community College
Intro to Early Childhood Education
September 16, 2015

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My philosophy on education throughout life is based on the Bible. Proverbs 22:6 states Train a
child up in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. I believe
everyone learns in a variety of ways. That we are a product of our upbringing as well as
education, and life experiences. That God created everyone unique, individual and special.
I believe that you should train children up in the way they should go. Encouraging a child to
have a love of reading should start in the womb. I read to my children from the Bible from the
time I was three months pregnant with my first. When she was a few months old I began reading
to her five small educational books every day. At four years of age she began reading to herself
in bed. She is now age ten and her continuing love of reading was worth every effort and prayer.
I agree with Martin Luther that reading is important so that you can understand what you believe
and read it for yourself. Training children up in the ways they should go is part of my philosophy
of education and I would encourage parents in this manner and bring it to life in the classroom.
Children should not have to unlearn anything. In many countries today children are taught early
toilet learning. They teach their children to eliminate on the toilet from a few days old. Diapers
train children to go in their pants and then we later teach them to go in the toilet. After having
two children and watching them learn both ways, I am certain it is better to teach them the right
way from the beginning. Children should be taught the truth from the beginning. Not be told lies
or stories and then later find out that parents and caregiver were telling stories dressed in truth
for their amusement. It leads to distrust and encourages them that it is alright to lie. Telling the
truth from the beginning should follow suit in all aspects of life and learning.
God created each of us as an individual each with their own special and unique characteristics. I
agree with Maria Montessori that all knowledge comes from sensory experiences. As well as
John Comenius who said education should occur through the senses and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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who advocated for natural approaches to learning. I enjoy teaching outside where there is so
much to see, hear, smell, taste and feel. I am in agreement with Lev Vygotskys sociocultural
theory of learning through social contact. If it were not true there would be no need for teachers.
I agree with Reggio Emilia Educators that children learn from curiosity, capability, sharing of
identity, collaborating and creativity. A diverse variety of teaching strategies should be used in
the classroom. Each of us with our own learning techniques and ways of relating information.
God has given me a gift of patience in learning and I would call patience my greatest strength as
an educator. As a tutor and a home school mom sitting one on one with a student you get a
chance to look into a students life and habits and figure out why they are having difficulty
learning in a specific area. One on one you are able to make a difference by helping a student
find a way around their difficulty or encourage an interest in an area where they may be showing
disregard. When a student is interested they will find a way to learn anything.
As a home educator I do identify with Johann Pestalozzi in mothers being the best teachers for
children. No one knows their child as well as a mother. The mother is the best person to properly
discipline a child in love. She wants the best for her child and will give her all for the best.
However we are living in an age where most mothers need to contribute to the household. We
need excellent teachers in order to have our students across the nation succeed in life. We need as
teachers to love and respect our students as if they were our own children. I believe as educators
we have a responsibility to educate parents on working with their children at home and assisting
with homework. One of the greatest ways to show love to the children you are teaching is to
show love to their parents.
My greatest area of future growth as an early childhood professional would be continuing my
education. Many of the ideals that we have researched this week I had been implementing with

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my children and have been part of my philosophy of teaching for years however I did not know it
without the education on teaching. I pray this philosophy will grow in time and be utilized in the
lives of children and their parents.