Philosophy of Education: Second Version Monique Trejo Donna Jurich University of Arizona Philosophy of Education My teaching philosophy is built

upon personal beliefs and principles that have been developed through experiences in school, discussions with family members about their careers as educators, and the recent introduction to influential early childhood educators and critical concepts. Both personal experience and concepts learned from early childhood educators have influenced my educational philosophy to be more holistic as it is supported by research and successful practices. I have come to understand that it is essential that students learn to be independent and responsible as they put forth their best effort while learning to use their own unique strengths to persevere through individualized struggles. The purpose of early childhood education is to help my students gain confidence as they explore their surroundings and are introduced to new topics and concepts. I hope to aid in influencing this rising generation (my students) to understand their important responsibility to take the initiative in school now and to make a positive contribution later. My third grade teachers work greatly influenced my understanding of the importance of individualized assistance in the early childhood environment. She was the first teacher who recognized I was struggling with reading and took the initiative to spend the requisite time with me. I was motivated to more fully apply myself when I realized that her assistance was the key to my progress and that she really cared about me and my improvement. I will be aware of each students needs and give each child the time and tools required for their success. My third grade

teacher, along with other close individuals helped me to understand the importance of individualized education. Three of my family members who are educators have stressed the importance of having a vision, high expectations along with rules, routines, and procedures. Both their practice and proven success impacted my vision of solely providing a comfortable and homey classroom to now creating an innovative and goal oriented classroom. In this environment each student will recognize their role as a learner and their objective to become an expert in each of the common core standards and life skills while being motivated by personal interests to gain essential knowledge. In TTE 320 I was re-introduced to the Montessori philosophy and Common Core Standards while being presented with new early childhood thinkers including Regio Emilia, Dewey and Waldorf. Through a better understanding of these educational theorists I came to appreciate the critical concepts that I had discussed with my three family members earlier. I learned that Traditional education pursues intellectual learning as it relies on learning core subjects and skills, while Montessori education expects students to research personal interests and apply them to gain necessary knowledge. I will use the Common Core State Standards to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so [that I as a teacher and my students] parents know what they need to do to help them (Mission Statement; Implementing the Common Core State Standards). In small groups we discussed the Montessori philosophy in more depth and learned that children through direct interaction with materials rather than through instruction [along with] performing everyday tasks will help them be on the right track towards a positive future (Montessori Education). By using a combination of these two educational formats I will create a classroom that encompasses the materials required to be devel-

opmentally sound for my students along with having an appropriate environment where they can be on track and prepared for the gradually more difficult education. By having a daily agenda that challenges each students strengths and helps them receive the necessary assistance in weaker areas, I will be able to explain, practice, and hold each student accountable for following educational routines and procedures. Communicating clear expectations, focusing on the daily agenda, while giving them the opportunity to be independent, will make the classroom an organized learning environment where each student will feel an individual place in the classroom. I aspire to have an inclusive learning environment through studying and understanding each students family and background while connecting them to the Common Core Standards or Montessori Philosophy. I will present material that includes students cultures and backgrounds in an interesting and enlightening way. I will have discussion periods where students are able to converse about the presented information and express their own questions and ideas. To fulfill these goals I will constantly review what guides my practices and beliefs, acknowledge that children develop at varying levels, teach students what they should be able to do and know in life while giving them freedom for natural discovery, and endeavor to personally understand my students unique backgrounds. By working diligently to continuously learn and improve myself as a life-long learner, students will respect my efforts and want to become more knowledgeable about the fascinating world around them as they work to accomplish their own goals.

References

"Mission Statement." Implementing the Common Core State Standards. Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2012. Web. 02 May 2013. <http://www.corestandards.org/>. "Montessori Education." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 May 2013. Web. 02 May 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education>.