TTN:Philosophy for Teaching, © 2005

Every student teacher remembers having to write his or her own

Philosophy for Teaching.

In this required writing activity, we were encouraged

to think about our reasons for going into the

Teaching profession. We were to discuss the classroom

ideals that we hoped to develop once we were in

the classroom.

Then, we got our first teaching assignment, and

all we could think about was just surviving that first year!

But ten years in the classroom have taught me that

having your own philosophy for teaching is perhaps

one of the most critical steps in teacher development.

The philosophy must become more than a list of lofty goals

and thoughts regarding how you would like to teach.

The philosophy must become real, something that you can

put your finger on and say, with assurance,

"This is what I am doing, and these are the reasons why."

My 4th year of teaching, I was fortunate to get a job at a

school district that was a state mentor school.

I learned more in my first year at Rusk Primary School

than I had in teaching the first three years!

Rusk Primary taught me the value of learning the

different learning styles of children. If I was taught this in

college, it was only as a brief topic. At Rusk, I learned that

this was the fundamental key to teaching ALL children.

We were encouraged to try different techniques and presentations

with children having learning difficulties, until we found the

"recipe" that worked for that individual.

Language Arts and Math instruction were individualized as

much as possible, allowing the child to work on the level

at which he or she was most successful. If a child needed Phonics

instruction, he received it; if that approach didn't work,

something else was tried. If a child was operating on a concrete

level in Math, that is the level at which instruction began.

This didn't mean that we threw TAAS and the TEKS out the window.

We knew where we wanted a child to be at by the end of the year.

However, we realized we were carpenters building something grand,

and in order for a building to stand tall, it must first have

the strongest foundation possible.

This basic concept is what reshaped "my"

Philosophy of Education.

My Philosophy of Education is simple. It is my responsibility

to teach each child to go as far as he or she is capable of going.

It is my responsibility to accurately assess each child, so that I may

teach to that child's strengths and and be aware of his weaknesses.

My Philosophy of Education is that the only label needed

in the classroom is a child's name. When you begin

to look at every child in this way, you notice the lines become

blurry between your Special Ed kids, your Gifted & Talented kids,

your non-English speaking kids...in short, they are simply,

your kids. Each child has a wonderful gift to share with

the classroom.

I encourage you all as educators, adminstrators, or future teachers,

to sit down and really think about your own

Philosophy of Education. What is the driving force behind

all that you do in your classroom? What foundation have you laid

to see that each student builds upon their own successes?

Your Philosophy of Education is not a curriculum guide.

It is not a prepackaged-one-size-fits-all-book-adoption-

guaranteed-to-teach-everyone-program.

It is not what the teacher down the hall is doing.

It is what you believe, the backbone of all that you do

each day in your classroom.

Your Philosophy of Education... if you haven't given this

any thought since Education 101, please, sit down and

think about what is influencing the way you teach.

Your students will thank you for it.

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