Philosophy

It is an interesting activity to think about your philosophy of education and what that means. In a lot of ways, my philosophy of what education means has changed drastically as I have gained more experience and the world around me has changed.  In other ways my views have not changed at all.

I have always believed that education is all about children.  It is easy to forget that is the case sometimes when we get caught up with other factors influencing and overwhelming our thinking.  Each child deserves equal access to education and deserves to be educated in a caring and respectful environment.  Each child has endearing qualities and it is up to me as an educator to find them and use them to encourage the best in all children.  Every child deserves my respect and it is through respectful relationships that we can build an open channel for learning.

Experience has taught me that academics, although very important, is not the only thing that school is about.  In fact, I believe that academics should often take a back seat to other practical life skills such as respect, perseverance, problem solving skills, conflict resolution, self-esteem, self-respect, consideration for others, empathy, volunteerism and many others.  I think what we are trying to accomplish within our education system is future citizens that have confidence and will go forward to be an asset to themselves and others.  We are trying to create global citizens that have empathy for others and see their role in the world.

Our changing world, has had a great influence in changing my philosophy of education.  Our classrooms are much more diverse learning environments than they ever were before.  We are dealing with a wider range of learning abilities and our students come to us with a wider range of social issues they are dealing with in their young lives.  It is important to strengthen each student and work to reduce outside influences and behaviors that can conflict and interfere with the learning process.  Each child needs to be able to connect the critical thinking skills they are learning in classrooms to their lives so they see a purpose for learning.  Research shows us that engagement goes up when children can make connections to their daily lives, and academic success is highly  correlated with engagement.

In order for students to compete in today’s contemporary and competitive society they need to have a working knowledge of technology, have highly tuned critical thinking skills and be able to communicate and problem solve effectively.  Our students belong and have always belonged to a digital global world that is very participatory.  Education is no longer just a transfer of information.  I believe that we need to take a step back and let our students take the teaching role, discovering for themselves through the process of critical thinking, rather than just memorizing what we, as teachers, prepare for them. Memorization of basic facts becomes less important every day and our students need to learn to be good digital citizens in order to communicate and collaborate with others in a safe and effective way.  We need to provide opportunities for them to collaborate with others both in the classroom and outside our school walls.  Education needs to be tailored to each individuals learning styles and strengths.  When students feel in control of their learning, they are engaged in what they are doing, and more learning takes place. 

One of the most important things, I believe, we can instill in our students is the love of life long learning. The importance of learning does not end when we pass a grade or graduate from high school or university. We live in an information rich world and as our students proceed through life they will need to continue to grow, learn and be open to the ideas of others, so that they will be leaders in their communities. My love of learning is what drives me outside my comfort zone and keeps me striving to become a better person and teacher and was modeled for me by my parents and some of the teachers I had in my life.

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 A successful administrator also needs to encourage life long learning for their staff.  It is important to open up lines of communication, honesty and respect as a means for that to happen.  Many teachers are not comfortable with change and may not want to try new ways of teaching or adjust to new curriculum or teaching methods.  A successful administrator needs to needs to create an atmosphere of encouragement and support in order to help staff gain new skills.

I feel that it is extremely important to work closely with parents, both as a teacher and administrator.  The relationship between parents and educators needs to be a trusting, cooperative and collaborative relationship.  It needs to be built without judgments about parenting styles and with an understanding that we do not always know what is going on in people’s lives.  I believe in a team philosophy when it comes to learning.  It required everyone on the team to bring a child to his/her learning potential.

I think education is about being an emotional, social, academic and physical facilitator that helps to guide each child to their full learning potential.  We need to act as mentors in the classroom to guide children’s learning and discovering so that they may teach their classmates and others what they know and learn.