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Rebecca Duchesneau
Draft: Philosophy of Education
12/10/12
Philosophy of Education Statement
Dedication to their students and a commitment to life-long learning are required for
teachers to be successful. While there are many different ideas about how to teach, I believe there
is no right answer; teachers will all teach in different ways that work for them, and more
importantly, for their students. Education is what allows people to enjoy and make the most of
their lives, and as a teacher I hope to educate students in a way that will be useful and interesting
to them.
What is the purpose of education? Education is not one thing, where a group of students
walk into a classroom and are only educated formally. Education happens every minute all around
people, and often we learn the most important life lessons from random moments. As a teacher I
will do my best to take advantage of these random moments by being flexible in the classroom. If
something important happens, or is brought up during a lesson, I will adjust my lesson to focus on
that moment, even if that means re-planning coming lessons to accommodate for the change. I
believe that the purpose of education to help students develop their understanding and talents in
order to enjoy the world and make the most of their lives. I will help students do this by
encouraging them to examine the world, and decide what role they want to have in society.
Education should allow people to be successful, look at the world critically, and be able to shape
their lives. As stated by William Ayers and Ryan Alexander-Tanner (2010year), What would it
mean to learn from the world and not just about the world? From Nature, From History, From
Democracy rather than simply about democracy? (p.40). If I can educate people this way, I will
be giving students a true education, one where they will be able to learn from experiences and
moments in their lives instead of just viewing experiences on the surface.

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Student bodies are extremely diverse populations with regard to race/ethnicity, ability,
gender, etc. so it is important to have great teachers in every school. I believe that is a major step
to solving problems related to disparities between schools. If I can do my job well and
passionately, I can positively affect the students and the whole school environment. Through
teacher education, and constantly striving for improvement, I believe that teachers can help bridge
the gap between schools. I believe that as a teacher I , I believe that great teachers should be able
to provide an equally great education for students with special needs and ethnically diverse
students, as for others through understanding of pedagogy and an open-mind. To be a great
teacher, I believe that having an open-mind is integral to being able to teach diverse students. I
will never be able to know exactly how a student is experiencing something, but by having an
open and inquisitive mind, I they can learn to adapt my teaching to provide equal learning for all.
Schools are formed around their communities important values from the type of teachers
employed, to even the architecture of the building itself. Communities are so important to the
forming of the school, which means that there should be a constant connection between school and
community. I believe in reaching out into the community to find what is important to my students
and then incorporating that into my lessons. I will work hard to get parents involved, even if it is
just enough that the parent feels comfortable talking to the teacher about their child. I believe a
community should take interest in their schools, and that if they do not I (and other teachers),
parents, and students should reach out and encourage a connection through volunteer-work,
community invitations to performances and sports matches, and public showings of students
works. As a teacher I want to help students get involved as positive agents of change in their
community to show them they can make a difference.

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References
Ayers,William & Alexander-Tanner, Ryan. (2010) To Teach: The journey, in comics. New York:
Teachers College Press