What is my educational philosophy? (Progressivism)
Your educational philosophy is a vital part of who you are as an educator—it your statement of your beliefs, values, and professional goals. This philosophy will not only represent you to future potential employers, it will serve as a general guide for when you begin teaching. It. Is. Important.
It is often used by administrators to judge whether the applicant is the “kind of person that I would want in my school or teaching my children.”
Your Educational Philosophy is a description of your goals and beliefs as a teacher. There really is no singular right way to do it—as it should be as individualistic as you. Your philosophy will also change the more you teach and become of aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, your changing values, and your changing goals.
The Assignment:
Start out by picking which type of philosophy you connect with from Chapter 8. (Talk about it in Paragraph 2)
My suggestion – don’t start with the intro. Write paragraphs about a couple topics, then come back and write the introduction where you connect the items you chose with the philosophy. Don’t worry if you like more than one philosophy. You can say you are interested in parts of several – use those philosophy’s to connect to the items below.
What topics do I cover? Here are some suggestions. Don’t attempt to address all of these. Pick 3-4 and develop them with examples.
Why do you want to Teach? (to help students who are in need and assure students they have someone to turn to)
What is the purpose of education? (to prepare students for the future and to help them develop as members of society)
Whom are you going to Teach? (high school special education)
What are your beliefs about how children learn? (Children are all unique and they learn differently at their own pace)
What are your goals for your students? (for them to advance substantially as people and students in their time with me and to make an impact on them to the point where they feel comfortable enough to turn to me if they are in need)
Where are you going to Teach? (bowling green ky, hopefully at south warren high school where i currently coach baseball)
As you write your philosophy, keep the following in your thoughts:
Your educational philosophy reflects your own approach to education, but don’t be afraid to reference college work, readings, and thinkers in the educational field, as it demonstrates that you’ve had some training. For example, “As Erikson, I believe that children go through a series of mini-crisis as they mature and it will be part of my task is to assist young people in making these transitions.” Make sure you understand the philosophy of the person being quoted since you may be asked questions about it at an interview.
Grammar, punctuation, spelling!!!!!!! If you aren’t a good proofreader, find someone who is!!!!!!!!!!!!!
COMPLETE sentences.
Use only one idea for each paragraph and be sure to provide a transition between paragraphs. Use topic sentences. Have well-developed and well-organized paragraphs!
Have a thesis sentence!!!
A philosophy does not have a cover page. Make sure your name and title are on the first page of your philosophy.
You cannot write an educational philosophy in one paragraph!
Your educational philosophy should have an introduction and a conclusion; your conclusion should provide a “logical” ending to your philosophy.
Your philosophy should be positive. While there may well be problems with our educational system, a prospective employer does not really want to hear how bad things are – s/he is interested in what you are going to do to make the classroom experience a better one of the students. You are writing a personal philosophy, not a critique of the educational system.
Your philosophy, along with your resume, are among the first things a prospective employer will see. The appearance of these documents is critical!
Avoid the use of different fonts on a page; use the most “readable” font available – you may have to experiment a bit to get the possible font – remember, what looks good on a screen may look different when printed.
Use a font that is easy to read and of an appropriate size – avoid any fonts under 12 cpi.—Use MLA or APA format.
Use some of the information in in your book, i.e., from the section on philosophies, to include in your own philosophy.
