MY PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Matthew Friehauf

EDUC 522
Professor Muthersbaugh
July 20, 2014

The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as
we continue to live.
Mortimer Adler (1902-2001), American philosopher and educator

Introduction
As historian and educator George R. Knight (2006) dutifully notes in his Philosophy &
Education, professional educators must realize that all educational practices are built upon
assumptions rooted in philosophy, and that different philosophic starting points may lead to
varying educational practices (p. 43). Failure to come to this realization, Knight (2006)
continues, has led to devastating outcomes for the educational establishment in the United States.
Most notably, in the absence of concrete visions regarding the overarching purpose of education
and its relation to life itself (in a metaphysical sense, for example), mindlessness has blanketed
American education (Knight, 2006, p. 4, 43). That is, because educators have deliberately
eschewed asking the tough questions with respect to whether or not the continuous development
of a wide array of new teaching techniques and methods for instructing our children is in fact
actually beneficial, we are left with an educational environment in this country that unfortunately
prefers motion over progress (Knight, 2006, p. 4). From personal experience, I couldnt
agree more with Knights mindlessness diagnosis. My classmates and I, for example, would
become disillusioned with our education on numerous occasions throughout our middle and high
school years when so-called new and improved teaching techniques that were entirely devoid
of real value were tried out on us.
In order to begin curbing the pervasive problem of mindlessness that is polluting our
schools, Knight (2006) argues that it is imperative for a new generation of educators to come
along who are acutely aware of the desperate need to have thought about purpose in all facets
of educational practice (p. 4). Consequently, because having thought about purpose entails
asking meaningful and relevant questions (the essence of philosophy according to Van Cleve
Morris) that directly relate to how children should be educated, it is quite clear that harboring a

philosophy of education is crucial for an educator. By crafting my own personal educational

philosophy, it is my hope that I can join the ranks of a new breed of professional educators that
Knight yearns for.
The Role of the Teacher
In the eyes of the state education authorities, I am a professional educator who is
responsible for distilling my knowledge of mathematics to the best of my ability and keeping my
students safe from harm in my class. This is obviously a critical role of a teacher, for as the great
Greek philosopher Aristotle noted in his Politics, the community suffers when education is
neglected (Murphy, 2006, p. 41). However, while these responsibilities are indeed of central
importance in my chosen profession and should be diligently adhered to, I see the role of the
teacher as much more than an authority figure of the classroom who merely presents a lesson at
the front of the classroom day in and day out. That is, as someone who steadfastly agrees with
the Roman educational philosophy that a teacher is truly the trainer of the next generation, it is
imperative that I remain conscious of the fact that my behavior and interactions with students can
very likely have unforeseen consequences (for better or worse) (Murphy, 2006, p. 51). Knight
(2006) reaffirms the importance of minding ones values and actions while leading a classroom,
for he asserts that the teacher (rather than counselors, principals, superintendents, or curriculum
specialists) has the most influential impact on young children in the educational realm (p. 218).
If I want to have greater confidence that my presentation in the classroom will positively
affect my students in the present and the future, I must not merely act as an all-knowing
authority who simply knows all the answers to the homework problems that I assign. Rather, I
must strive to emulate the actions of my savior, Jesus Christ, by viewing the teaching profession

as one that completely revolves around service to others. Thus, it goes without saying that a
primary role of a teacher is to serve the students he or she is tasked with educating.
Serving the next generation can (and should) take many forms. Helping students with any
struggles that they might encounter throughout the school year (whether it deals with the subject
matter being taught or not), lending an open ear to hear concerns about life in general, making
the classroom a peaceful environment for kids who come from a broken family life, and acting as
a mentor for those in desperate need of one should be important objectives for a teacher besides
merely teaching the required curriculum. With so many children facing an unprecedented
number of problems in our broken society (cyberbullying, sexting, lax parental supervision on
the homefront, drug use, etc.), it should be obvious that a teacher who spends 180 full days out of
the year with his or her students should take the time to provide a shoulder to cry on for those
who are hurting.
The Nature of the Student
As a Christian, I will always try to view my students as children of God (even when they
act unruly). As children of God, every single student of mine has personal worth and has been
created for a specific purpose. Whats more, because I believe my students have been made in
His image, I am in full agreement with Knight (2006) in that the possibilities of each child are
infinite and eternal (p. 210). Because of these unlimited possibilities, and due to the fact that I
am also in full-fledged agreement with the Roman educational belief that the nations children
are the hope of the future, I firmly believe that each child deserves the best education that I can
realistically offer as a teacher (Knight, 2006; Murphy, 2006, p. 50). Receiving an excellent
education, however, requires an active interest on the students part. With respect to my
expectations of my students, I align myself with the Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius,

who required his own students to remain motivated and take the initiative in their own learning
(Murphy, 2006). If a student lacks personal responsibility by failing to take charge of his or her
own education, the value of a teacher is sadly diminished.
In order for my students to adequately learn how to become personally responsible, my
classroom must be considered a safe and emotionally secure place for them to make mistakes
and learn from them. I will let it be known to all students that there is no such thing as asking a
stupid question and that any ridicule from fellow classmates that a student might receive for
trying to own his or her education will not be tolerated. It is my hope that my students will learn
to equate the act of asking questions with personal responsibility for ones own academic growth.
Additionally, instead of heartlessly throwing out assignments that do not have names on them, I
will instead keep them in a bin that will be available for students to search through after class. By
forcing them to take the time to search through a bin of nameless papers, they will hopefully
learn to become more responsible with their work by remembering to put their name on their
assignments in the future.
Despite the fact that a schoolteacher spends five full days per week with children for 180
days out of the year, I realize that an educator can only do so much for a student with respect to
teaching them the particular subject matter and helping them learn what it means to be personally
responsible. Because of this, I must keep in mind that most life lessons should be learned within
the confines of a students home. As Knight (2006) rightfully makes clear, the most essential
teachers are in fact a students parents.
The Curricular Emphasis
As an educator who has been granted an endorsement in middle-level mathematics by
the Washington Professional Educator Standards Board, I will primarily be tasked with

introducing my students to a wide swath of elementary topics in algebra, geometry, probability,

and statistics. Because I will most likely be teaching in a public middle school, I will not be
allowed much leeway in terms of deviation from the required mathematical curriculum.
However, within the confines of a state or locally mandated curriculum, I can find opportunities
to include subject matter that I believe is of crucial importance for the academic and personal
success of my students. In particular, the pervasive plug-and-chug math exercises found in
most required textbooks that are seemingly devoid of any applicability to the real world should
be buttressed by lessons that provide insight into the application of the basic mathematical
principles that I have been teaching. It can unfortunately be too easy for children who otherwise
have great mathematical potential to become disillusioned with math due to the fact that most of
their homework doesnt appear to extend to interesting problems (great engineering feats or
otherwise) in the world of work. Indeed, as esteemed Christian pioneer and educational
philosopher Ellen White (1903/1952) dutifully noted in her Education, a lack of instruction in
the applicability of a topic will sadly lead to wasted talent (p. 232). To reduce the chances of
talent being extinguished by mundane curriculum, I will introduce captivating examples of real
world applications of math in my classroom. A lesson on land surveying, for example, would
dovetail quite nicely with a required lesson on measuring angles with protractors.
While my discussion of the curricular emphasis has so far only encompassed matters
revolving around the need to keep math content stimulating, a word must be said with respect to
how I can discourage notions that mathematics (and thus the curriculum itself) can be deemed
secular. In a public school setting, I will unfortunately be prohibited from freely talking about
my Christian beliefs if the discussion is not germane to the designated curriculum. Consequently,
it seems highly unlikely that I will be able to claim that because God is the creator of everything,

all Truth (which obviously encompasses mathematics) must stem from Him. However, despite
the limitations placed on me in a public school setting, attempts to hinder the spread of the Good
News will not be entirely successful. For example, while introducing famous mathematicians
who have been highlighted in the textbooks, I can make a conscious effort to avoid heaping
humanistic praise on them for their notable mathematical accomplishments. That is, when
describing the feats of a mathematical pioneer, I can say that he or she was given a special talent
for doing math.
Teaching Methodology
As an authority figure in the classroom setting, it should come as no surprise that I
believe it is possible to primarily obtain knowledge from experts. After all, educators have
been put in positions of authority because they have shown that they harbor a great amount of
knowledge in a particular subject area. What I must keep in mind, however, is that authoritative
knowledge will be considered null and void if it is not based on correct assumptions. Thus, the
possibility for invalid authoritative knowledge requires an avenue for verification. As an
authority to my students in the realm of middle-level mathematics, I will make it a point to
reveal all foundational assumptions in my teaching so that my students do not simply have to
trust that my knowledge is accurate. Instead, they can also verify it. The need for verification is
crucial, for although I have noted that teachers can be considered authority figures in their area(s)
of expertise, an educator should never willfully allow a student to unabashedly put his or her
trust in another fallen humans claims. While I may simply state a theorem due to time
constraints, I can employ verification of my mathematical claim by providing my students with
accessible resources (textbooks, websites, etc.) that will allow them to see for themselves that a

theorem I have stated can indeed be shown to be true via a logical chain of reasoning (i.e., a
proof).
To promote higher-level thinking, knowledge should not merely be transmitted in a
strictly unidirectional fashion from teacher to student. Instead, an educator must realize that his
or her students must learn to engage in critical thinking to tease out answers to the problem at
hand for themselves without having to heavily rely on the classroom authority figure as the
ultimate solutions manual. This can be accomplished by employing the Socratic Method in
the classroom (based on Greek philosopher Socrates preferred method of instruction) by
requiring the teacher to jumpstart the discussion of a problem by posing leading questions that
are thought-provoking and stimulate higher order thinking skills (Murphy, 2006, p. 26). The
peppered use of skillful questioning of a particular topic will force students to think long and
hard about how to go about solving the problem at hand. By discovering the answer for
themselves (with careful guidance from the teacher), higher-level thinking will indeed be
practiced.
The Role of Moral Values and Character Development
Due to the fact that the classroom can be considered a theater, Knight (2006) rightfully
asserts that it is impossible for a teacher to hide his or her morality from highly impressionable
students (p. 29). For this reason alone, it is imperative that I should always strive to model
upstanding character traits such as honesty, humbleness, and trustworthiness for my imitative
students so that they may become responsible citizens in their communities (Knight, 2006, p.
276). However, in addition to the fact that the teacher is under an unwavering spotlight in the
classroom, there is another equally important reason that I must serve as a moral exemplar for
the children: family breakdown. Indeed, because we unfortunately live in an age that is

witnessing an ever-increasing amount of children coming from poisonous living situations, the
teacher needs to assume that many students do not have someone of high moral caliber to look
up to on the homefront (Murphy, 2006, p. 11). As a result, it is of utmost importance for an
educator to serve as a positive role model for students who are yearning for one (consciously or
not). In addition, to help make up for any lack of a stable home life, a teacher should seek to
create a classroom environment that resembles the ideal home. This can be done by following in
the footsteps of the Enlightenment educational philosopher Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who
sought to make his students feel like members of a loving family by taking into account the
social and emotional needs of those he educated (Murphy, 2006, p. 181).
The Diverse Classroom
As our nation increasingly becomes heterogeneous, it follows that the schools (both
public and private) will undoubtedly serve as microcosms of the countrys abounding diversity.
The fact that I will most likely be teaching in this kind of mosaic environment does not faze
me, for I believe that every student has something interesting from his or her background to
bring to the table (or desk). In addition, I adhere to renowned Renaissance educator Johann
Amos Comenius belief in education for all no matter ones background (caustic or otherwise)
(Murphy, 2006, p. 152). Furthermore, because I believe every single person has been created by
God and made in His image, every student of mine is a child of God who has personal worth
regardless of whether or not I can relate to their cultural background and/or diverse experiences.
Thus, I will value each students uniqueness and try my best to be mindful of my teaching
practices when educating different kinds of students. I will not take the easy way out by
convincing myself that there is such a thing as a one size fits all lesson plan. If a student is
noticeably struggling with comprehending my presentation of a topic, I will privately seek input

from him or her as to how I can better relay the material. If logically feasible, my classroom door
will also remain open after school for those who need additional assistance.
Student Assessment
While academically assessing my students, I will keep in mind that their academic
standing will never reflect their personal worth as children of God. A students success or failure
in the academic realm should not have any bearing on how I treat a fellow human being who was
deliberately created (and thus given a purpose) by our Creator. As for assessing my students with
respect to behavior, I will try my best to remember that unruly behavior should be seen in light of
the overarching human problem of sin rather than simply one individuals conduct (Knight,
2006, p. 210). That is, while evaluating a misbehaving student, I must keep in mind that I was
also in need of discipline as a child since we are all fallen individuals who misbehave in the eyes
of God (White, 1903/1952, p. 292). In short, since I myself am an imperfect individual, my
methods of assessing students are inherently flawed. Consequently, I will not view my student
assessment as absolute.
Conclusion
Just as our minds continue to grow as long as were living, as the opening quote by
Mortimer Adler suggests, so too will my philosophy of education naturally expand as long as I
continue to gain more knowledge in leading a classroom. Indeed, despite my attempt to carefully
craft a philosophy that seeks to take into account the various facets of educational practice, it
would be foolish to assert that my educational beliefs are immune to growth and revision.
Although I will keep an open mind with respect to remaining adaptive to accommodate new
classroom experiences that might very well convince me to alter areas of my educational

philosophy, I will always view my philosophy as a shield that prevents me from being swayed by
the mindlessness that permeates American education.

Bibliography
Knight, G. R. (2006). Philosophy & education: An introduction in Christian perspective.
Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press.
Murphy, M. M. (2006). The history and philosophy of education: Voices of educational
pioneers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
White, E. (1903/1952). Education. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing.