Philosophy of Education Essay -- Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Philosophy of Education One of the most privileged professions in the world today is teaching. Teachers can influence the youth of a culture in a way no one else can. Teachers have the honorable responsibility of education. Students develop mentally, socially, and ethically within the realm of academic education. While in this critical stage of development, students are given the laboratory of the classroom to test themselves in ways that are more risky after graduation. Teachers play a crucial role in this laboratory. I believe that the most important way I can serve my students while fulfilling this role is to have positive expectations, to continually reflect on my teaching habits and performance, and to use literature as a way to empower my students to be successful personally and professionally. I believe each student should be treated as an individual, and positive expectations should guide my interaction with each individual. Students have the potential and capability to achieve the highest success, and I will treat each of them with this in mind. Students should always believe this about themselves, and they are not going to unless others believe it with them. The development of a student’s self worth is very important during the middle and high school years. I believe many students fail academically because they don’t believe they are able to succeed, or they don’t value their success academically. These students need positive reinforcement and high expectations. Some students are set up to fail before they even enter the school building; a poor home environment can have negative effects on a student’s self worth and ability to study. These students need understanding, accommodations, and positive encourage... ...o help them make their own responsible decisions. After all, in a few years, they will be completely independent and should have practiced making their own decisions. I want to encourage my students to form their opinions about the choices they want to make through sound experiences and information before they get in the specific situations, thus making more informed and thoughtful decisions "in the moment." While entertaining the issues of culture itself, I would like to equip my students with the tools needed to read, write, comprehend, and verbally articulate their well-formulated ideas. By embedding the grammar, writing, reading, and critical thinking skills within the teaching of a a relative text, I hope to stretch the minds of my students more than just academically, but even in their development as a person. Literature can reach students in ways that I cannot.