Alexandria Cruz

Marian Ellis
Education 1301.200
15 November 2014
Philosophy of Education
I believe the most important question to ask every teacher is why? Why, teach? Of all
the professions that make a better salary, of all the jobs that are less stressful, less time
consuming, why did you become a teacher? My answer to that question is this burning fire
inside of me, this desire to inspire others, to change peoples lifes that would inevitably change
the world. I was always taught as a kid that you when you leave somewhere you are supposed to
make it cleaner than when you arrived there, and that has been my motto in life since then: If you
arent trying to make the world a better place than when you got there then you are making it
worse. I still cant decide whether or not I was born with this passion or whether it was planted in
me by the influences in my life, my past teachers, coaches, and most importantly my mother. I
want to be an educator and light the same fire that is inside of my heart onto others. The purpose
of education is to enrich in the students the tools and skills to become intelligent, upstanding
citizens of the world who can reach their full potential in life, never stop learning, and most
importantly be happy. As a teacher I will reinstall the value of learning over the value of a letter
grade. It will be important to me to be a good role model to my students, and also to be a support
system for the students who cant find that anywhere else. With that being said I believe it is
important to not only strive to have a good relationship with the parents but try and understand
the culture and situation my student has been raised in. Above everything else I will have a
classroom that promotes the respect of all people, which also will teach them, along with myself

the act of being understanding, two values that I believe are vital to be carried with my students
throughout their lives.
In the education system that I grew up in it seems that the educators have drifted away
from the act of learning, whereas the purpose of school has been more focused on getting a good
grade. I believe this is all rooted from the motif that is at constant battle throughout our lives:
money or happiness. I was raised in a system that says this: do good in intermediate school so
you can do well in high school, make good grades in high school so you can get into a good
college, do well in college so you can get a good degree, so you can get a good job, so that you
can make good money. It is so easy to get caught up in that system, to be focused on school
solely so you can have a good salary when you get older, and in turn have a good life. But, in my
classroom I will refocus my students on the love of learning, the act of learning a subject so you
can better yourself in the world, understand the past, and create a better future; not teaching them
a subject so that they can memorize information for five days to recite on the test to get a good
grade. Benjamin Franklin once said, Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me
and I learn. My curriculum will be founded upon that quote, I will involve my students in
whatever subject they are required to learn, I will create passion for the question why. My
students will strive to dig deeper into the subject and thus understand the beauty of not
understanding, and then they will begin to actually learn the subject, and will use that to form
their opinions about the world and become people who are socially aware, and not full of facts,
but full of wisdom.
I believe that not all kids are born as intelligent or inquisitive as others, but in my
classroom I will require all of my students to put in all their effort, whatever that might be. This
being my philosophy, I understand that students will learn at a different pace, which could lead

to irritableness within the classroom. But, like I have stated before my classroom will not be
driven by just good grades, it will be driven by the will to learn. The best solution to this is to
create an interactive class to get students to understand the subject on a level deeper than what
the textbooks teach, and while they work together they can begin to understand the differences in
their peers, but find a way to be successful still as a group. If it was possible I would ask my
students at the beginning of the year what they wanted their grade to be and that is what they
would receive. Exams would only be assessed to figure out what the students didnt understand
and to continue on the subject until everyone comprehends. Although I know that cant be done
in todays system, I will still build my philosophy around that idea, and make it to where the
grade at the end of a subject is much less important than the understanding of it.
Relationships are the force behind everything, a good relationship produces success,
whereas a bad relationship produces failure. I believe that the relationship with my students
should first and foremost be professional, but should also be based on complete respect from me
to them and vice versa. It is my goal to instill in my students attributes that they will be carried
with them throughout their lives like, respect to all people, understanding that all people are
different, leadership, love, empathy, and compassion. In order to obtain that goal, I believe it is
important to display all of those characteristics to my students in my relationship with them. If I
expect my students to show each other respect when in a disagreement, than I must show my
students respect if I am in a disagreement with one of them, even if that student isnt respecting
me. Everyone goes through hard times and as an educator I believe one of my main jobs is to
make each pupil believe that they are so important to this world. If they need a mentor to help
them through those times I assume it is my duty to have an open door for them to talk to me and
help advise them through a situation, in the most professional way possible. I believe that when it

comes to relationships with my students parents that it is rooted through the student, that I need
to understand the relationship with the student and his parent first before I can present them with
what they can do to help their child be successful. I think it is important for the parents to be
supportive of their childs education but not totally encompassed on information that doesnt
pertain to them. Therefore, yes I want to have a good relationship with my students parents but I
also want what is best for my student and that differs between each kid. Another relationship that
is vital when becoming an educator is one between coworkers and administration. I believe that
to have a good work environment it is important to stay professional and encouraging with your
coworkers. It is important to understand other teachers philosophy and to see what works in their
classroom, but also important to not lose sight of your values. Also, I will always be respectful to
all people including administrators, and understand the goals of the school and find a good way
to intertwine my values with theirs.
Being a teacher is said to be one of the most important jobs in the world. We are shaping
young minds, not only with information, but with ideals that they will carry with them for their
entire lives. I believe that a teachers influence can change a kids life, whether it be to inspire
them to become great professionals, or just to keep them from getting with the bad crowd and
getting into trouble in their life. I have lived my life off a quote I heard off of the movie Coach
Carter:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful
beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing
small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people don't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not
just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our
presence automatically liberates others.

I believe that all people have a purpose on this earth, and that they can make it a better place. As
an educator it is my job to find the light in my students and encourage them that they are
important, and that a letter grade doesnt define them as a person, but instead that a person who
loves to learn can accomplish anything that they want in their life.