Running Head: Philosophy of Education

The Purpose of education

The purpose of education is important because you can pass on the knowledge that you
have gather on to future generations. To impart this knowledge is a commitment that is selfless
and tireless. I believe that one must have a calling for teaching, otherwise teaching could be a
hard endeavor, not only could you be teaching skills in writing, reading, and math, but be
creating a future generation of academics. According to Oaks and Lipton (2003), Thomas
Jefferson believed that if Americans had a basic academic education, then ideas could circulate
and they can be understood by the people. If you, as a teacher, are able to pass knowledge in a
clear and meaningful way that is engaging and fun, then students would in turn pass on the
knowledge they learned as adults on to the future.
Learning Environment
In order to learn, students must feel safe and comfortable in the environment they are in.
If a classroom is cluttered with useless equipment and is devoid of students work, then this
lends to a feel that you are sharing space in a storage place. I had previously worked with a
teacher that had his classroom with many boxes full of stuff that took space, space that could
have been used for any other purpose, like a library, writing corner, or computer station. I
personally did not felt comfortable in that classroom. A classroom should feel welcoming, safe,
comfortable, a place where children, not come to learn, but can feel free to be themselves. Wolf
(1998) stated that a classroom needs to a learning atmosphere that challenges childrens intellect,
not threatens it, because is a task is too easy or hard, then children will have little motivation to
learn. On that classroom where I previously worked, I observed children being restless, perhaps

the wondered why their classroom did not looked and felt as safe and comfortable as other
classrooms. As a future teacher, I will try not to commit the mistakes the teacher I worked with
did, and endeavor to make the classroom feel safe and comfortable, a place where children will
want to come back.
Commitment to Social Justice
As a former student of ESL (English as a Second Language) I was expose to students
from different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. I was curious enough about classmates that
I wanted to learn where they came from. Now as a future teacher, I want to pass on the curiosity
I had and to teach students about different cultures and histories. I want students to have an open
mind and learn about people different from them. As a future teacher I also want students to
know that being different is acceptable and that those differences makes us who we are as
individuals. According to Oak and Lipton (2003), being multicultural is a strength nor is a
weakness, is simply something that is. Whether students are U.S citizens or not, all have the
right to a public education. Students coming from other countries sometimes have lower levels
of academic education that teachers then have to accommodate their lesson plans for students or
find assistance for students with special needs. I know that being attentive I would be able to
help my future students be able to understand that there are other out there in the world who are
different.
Curriculum
Wanting to teach is not enough, you have to know what it is that you have to teach.
Teaching procedures are changing as new standards, theories and philosophies are found. The
new Common Core Standards that many U.S. states have implemented, inquire that today
students should become critical thinkers that can compete with their international counterparts.

According to Dana, Burns, and Wolkenhauer, a committee gather to work on the standards to
prepare American students that, as they grow older, be able to compete with other in the
international economy. For many years ago, teachers usually stood in front of a classroom where
students would sit in rows looking at the teacher. I believe that to be a good teacher, you have to
move around the classroom and have students be part of the teaching strategies. As many school
districts keep cutting the subjects like the arts and music, while focusing on math and language
arts, they are robbing students the knowledge to know about the world. I think that subjects like
art and music can be integrated in to other subjects like math and language arts, per example, in
art students can read about famous past artists and write about them. With music, students can
learn to count to a bit and about the measure in a music sheet. Subject like these are missing
from schools in that children are force to focus mostly on math and language arts.
Teaching
In high school, I almost became lost in the wave of students ready to give up on an
academic education. The teacher that inspired me back was not even a full pledge teacher
himself, he was a student teacher. I believe that if could inspired me, that I want to pass on that
torch and inspire some else. As a future teacher, want to be more the just the teacher, I want to
mentor, to give advice, and perhaps become my future students friend. I want to give hope to
students feel that they are ready to give, but there is always some out there would help them find
their path and continue their academic education. According Oaks and Lipton (2003) Brazilian
educator Paolo Freire believed The idea that hope alone will transform the world. (p. 103)