My Educational Philosophy

Since I was a young girl, I wanted to be a teacher. I distinctly recall setting up my stuffed animals as my “students” and enjoying having my own audience of captivated learners. I have always loved learning, and admired the teachers in my life who gave me the gift of knowledge and the confidence to be curious. However, there have been huge changes in our world since I was a student. I didn't even see a computer until I was maybe 12 years old. The students I will be with do not know a world without vast technology. With our society increasingly connected technologically, some may think we are also becoming disconnected face-to-face. Suicide, anxiety, and depression have risen in students. Cyberbullying is a terrible scourge, fear of missing out as students see their classmates doing things on social media can be upsetting, and increasing narcissism as kids focus on their online presence...all of these can contribute to declining mental health of students. Additionally, kids are spending less time outside, which I believe has a very detrimental effect on mental well-being. Aside from the incredible growth of technology, there are other new changes and challenges afoot. Our country is divided, and hateful rhetoric is on the rise, and with technology, it is easier than ever to tap into it. This is not to say that all is lost or even that technology is wholly negative, of course. There are so many benefits to it - and with it, response to hateful incidents or speech can be organized in hours, for example. However, it behooves us as educators to meet these challenges head-on, and have an educational philosophy that takes these factors into account.

What drives my desire to teach are the innumerable ways a teacher is able to make a true difference in a student’s life. A teacher gives academic knowledge, which of course is one of the key parts of a foundation for success. But there are other essential lessons a teacher imparts that is what I believe drive many educators. A teacher is able to teach compassion; A teacher is able to teach about justice; A teacher is able to inspire curiosity about the word; A teacher can teach that we are all stewards of the Earth. To inspire children to care for themselves as well as the people and word around them while also teaching them academic foundations is a gift. I believe the purpose of education is to create citizens who are able to contribute in a positive way to the world through their knowledge or through their personality. A teacher should find what gifts or offerings a student has an foster those for the betterment of society (and that individual).

As we work through the information age and try to understand how best to support students in a world we are still trying to figure out ourselves, how can we reach our goals as educators if everything is changing all the time? I feel like it comes down to teaching some essential skills through our lessons. Skills that can be utilized no matter what the future may hold. My philosophy is that teachers should be flexible and creative, and should teach independent and critical thinking, empathy, and a respect for and interest in the world around them (the natural world). How do we do this if we need to teach to the Common Core? As a teacher, I hope to choose academic lessons/projects that cultivate these skills which I believe are so important to our modern world. It is on me as an educator to create chances for children to develop these skills. This will require a true dedication of my philosophy of what skills I want to teach, and a creative way of thinking, especially if I teach in a public school. My husband went to a Waldorf elementary school, and my daughters went to one for nursery school. I really love their philosophy for education. Waldorf schools emphasize imagination and creativity, and they work so hard to foster an appreciation for the natural world. In every single season, children spend a giant portion of their day outside. Even when it was pouring, my daughters were out in the rain, playing in the mud. Though my husband only went for elementary school, I can see a Waldorf approach in his personality. He is incredibly creative, is able to think magically, and loves the outdoors. I believe this approach to education is beneficial. It helps to create independent and empathetic learners. My concern is (as with all private schools) the cost. It is simply not feasible for most families, and unfortunately, I do think it increases the divide between the rich (who have opportunity) and the middle class and poor (who do not) in our country. We could never afford to send our girls to Waldorf further than preschool, but even if we could, I honestly don’t know if we would. We care about diversity in our family, and that is not something those kinds of schools can often bring.

This is one of the reasons I believe it is so essential to bring my educational philosophy of fostering independent and critical thinking, empathy, and a respect, and connection with nature into the public school classroom. These things should be accessibltoor all students. I believe that all children deserve to reach their goals and realize their potential. Regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or gender, all children should have a teacher who values them and sees their worth as a learner and also as a person. I would be so proud to be a mentor to a child who may be struggling and to be a person who sets that child up for success down the line. In my eyes, our country is in crisis. The future is our hope, and it is essential that educators see that we have a duty to encourage kids to be a part of the global communiy, and give them the skills to do so.