Running head: TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 1

Philosophy of Education

Samantha Miller

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 496 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall

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Philosophy of Teaching

My love for teaching came later in life during a career change. I began substituting while

I was in between jobs. In my eyes the purpose of education is for a teacher to give 100% to every

student, provide a safe learning environment for every student, help students stay engaged and

develop their minds and skills. This is a lifelong process and it all begins at elementary age,

where the students are beginning the foundation of learning. As students move up in grade

levels teachers are preparing students for what lies ahead in the next grade. The fifth graders are

prepared to move to middle school, middle school prepares for high school, and high schools

prepare students for college. Then ultimately college prepares students for real life working out

in the real world.

A teachers goal is to help students succeed and prepare them for what will be coming

their way. The role of a teacher is to provide a safe, fun learning environment, and help students

have the best learning experience, develop critical thinking skills, and integrate leadership

qualities so the students become an active member of society. Teachers also must communicate

with students and their parents. Communication is key in parent teacher relationships. A teacher

is also a big role in student lives; teachers become a role model for his/ her students.

Some factors that can set a teacher up with a successful classroom and learning

experience would be; clear concise lesson plans, a clean well organized classroom, classroom

management and behavior, and instructional strategies. Every student learns differently, some

are hands on, others learn better by doing independent work, partnerships, or small group. It

would be essential to provide all type of learning for all students to figure out what works best

for the entire class and has the best result of the material being learned. Technology is also
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becoming a huge part of education. I have seen a significant difference of the uses of technology

being used in the classrooms just in the last 10 years. Now there are smart boards and projector

screens that hook up to computers, Iphones, and Ipads available to teachers in every classroom.

With these advances students can now interact more with the touch screens and still take notes,

view power points, and slideshows. As technology progresses it will be interesting to see the

next five to ten years and what new devices will be available to schools.

There are so many new and old school ways to measure if students are learning and

retaining the information being taught. There are always the traditional formative ways which

are; weekly quizzes and test, nightly homework to enforce what discussed in class. Test should

include multiple choice and short answer questions for the appropriate grade levels. Another way

to measure the students ability is summative assessments that include, a teacher walking around

while students are working or whole group participation in discussions.

I believe that schools should be teaching disciplined knowledge through the basic

subjects; history, mathematics, language, science, and the arts. Discipline is a must in every

classroom it helps maintain order and limits on talking during instruction time. Discipline starts

at pre-k all the way up to high school and college. Every wrong action has a consequence,

whether its being too talkative in class or hallways. John 14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God; believe also in me (ESC). With the rise of technology through the education

system applications for desktops and devices such as Classroom DoJo are becoming a huge

success. Applications like this are for the teacher, students, and parents. The line of

communication is always open and parents can see when their child gets positive reinforcement

or a negative point and the consequence for that wrong action or behavior choice. Methods such

as this help reinforce positive behavior and the classroom rules, provides consequences, and an
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incentive for students to collect point to turn in for reward. Other disciplinary actions across the

board can include; notice of concerns sent home, parents teacher conferences, in school

suspensions (ISS), suspension, and expulsion depending on the behavior and actions of that

student.

Evolution of Goals

When it come to me finishing up a very eye opening student teaching experience my

goals have changed, but for the most part my mind has expanded on so much knowledge on how

to efficiently reach goals. These goals are not only for myself as a teacher but goals for the

students I teach and interact with.

From my student teaching I have learned so many instructional strategies, classroom and

behavioral management techniques, and differentiation strategies. Going into this experience I

wanted a perfect classroom where students listened, all the desk were in order and looked very

organized. Well, I quickly found out this was not going to happen. Each classroom is perfect in

its own way. Every day will bring about new challenges for a teacher and the class as a while to

accomplish. The dynamic of a class will change throughout the year due to students learning

differently, culture, home life, and personalities.

These goals will change each year as new students step into my classroom. What worked

well with one class dynamic might not work this time. There will be constant tweaking until you

find the perfect fit for the classroom dynamic.

Statement of Goals

Along with qualities of being a great teacher I have goals that I want to accomplish each

year for students. As a teacher, I want to build strong relationships with my students, where we
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can joke around when appropriate and express my personality by using silly voices in lessons.

Students in my class will be challenged to the next level and strive to become a better person

every single day. I want to create a warm welcoming classroom setting so each student feels safe.

I also want to be able to create flexible lesson plans, have back up plans, and time fillers if a

lesson mastered more quickly than anticipated. Another goal for myself as a teacher would be to

create instruction for every students need through differentiation. Most of all my goals it to not

think of teaching as a job, but a calling. This is what God has laid on my heart and called me to

education children.

In conclusion, I am ready to become established teacher, to be a role model in students

education process, and leave a lasting impression on my students to always strive to be their best

and they can do anything they set their minds to. Nothing pushes students to do their best work

like a professor who takes pride not in his or her own accomplishments, but in helping others

realize their potential (Jason Dent, Philosophy, 05). It takes a special type of person the be a

teacher, patience and understanding are just the beginning. Knowing that God is always with me

and that this is his plan for my career I know I will not fail. I will not fail as a teach or to my

future students.
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References

Stanford Teaching Commons. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from

https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/teaching/planning-your-approach/defining-

your-own-teaching-goals