Traye Pelzer

Edu 213
Mr. Duea
December 1, 2014
Philosophy Paper
In this paper I will convey my basic views on education. I will
touch on my base thoughts on how a classroom should be organized,
taught, and regarded by the teacher. This paper will be divided into
two parts, the first describing my concept of teaching and learning, the
second how I plan to teach my future classes.
The ultimate purpose of education to me is to prepare the
learner with knowledge that will not only prepare them for the real
world, but to enhance their place in that world. I believe that
knowledge can do more that just prepare someone to take part in the
adult world. Education should do much more, for instance allow
someone to surpass his peers using an advanced and complex
understanding of situations. As someone who believes heavily in the
importance of history, I know for a fact that knowing the facts and
mistakes of the past is essential to making forward progress. In that
respect I will take it upon myself to prepare learners today to not make
the same mistakes that their predecessors have made in the past. In
this retrospect my ideals are closely related to small portions of
pragmatism and existentialism. Pragmatism holds problem solving in a
very high regard, which I agree with, however pragmatism holds that
school is not solely used as preparation for the future. Pragmatism
states that students should be taught for the here and now, while I

Traye Pelzer
Edu 213
Mr. Duea
December 1, 2014
dont fully disagree with this belief, I do hold that as time has been
known to do we will be propelled ever forward in time. Existentialism
appeals to some of my beliefs in the way that it emphasizes the
student in education. Existentialism believes that an individual is a free
and responsible agent determining his or her own development
through acts of the will. As my Father often told me when we discussed
education, you can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him
drink. This metaphor holds a lot of truth to it, especially when it
comes to education. No matter how interesting a teacher makes a
topic, or how essential it is to a students future, the student must
make a personal choice to succeed or fail. Education should not solely
be seen as the responsibility of just the educator, but rather the
educator and student share equal importance in the learning process.
Everything that a student does can lead to an enriching experience
that will nourish that students desire to learn. In this regard I believe
that there is no such thing as knowing too much. All knowledge holds
an immeasurable importance to this world; this is proven through a
simple example. 1+1 is a base math problem that can be seen as a
rather irrelevant source of knowledge. However that simple equation is
the base of all knowledge in math. In that respect even the most
ludicrous or nonsensical facts could hold the base of a learners interest
in learning. In this respect I cannot truly say that I know a certain core

Traye Pelzer
Edu 213
Mr. Duea
December 1, 2014
amount of skills that should be that base of all education. If there is
anything that is truly needed in a classroom it is the base need or
desire to learn.
Being able to retain knowledge and lean upon that knowledge to
help enhance ones life is what it means to learn. The ability to use
what one has learned to help them accomplish a task is the basest
meaning of learning. You will know that learning has taken place when
the student is able to apply the knowledge to a task, whether it is
shown through the completion of homework or displayed in a written
essay. The role of the teacher is to deliver knowledge in a way that
peaks the interest of students while providing them with the greatest
ability to commit the knowledge to a task. In this way the teachers
role is to facilitate the learning of their students. On the flip side it is
the students duty to adapt to the delivery of that knowledge and find
a way to commit and utilize the knowledge that has been delivered. My
classroom will have an atmosphere that encourages inquiry. If a
student needs to ask a question, I dont want them to think they will be
mad fun of or ignored because of it. If a student needs help in my
classroom I will not only expect myself to assist them, but their
classmates to help them as well. You best understand a subject when
you are able to explain it to another person, thusly I will use the

Traye Pelzer
Edu 213
Mr. Duea
December 1, 2014
classroom activity of having students teach one another to prove
proficiency and help their fellow classmates.