PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY 1

Personal Philosophy on Education

Samantha Ennes

Professor Stout

EDSP 480

California State University, Long Beach

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When considering the goals of education, in both theoretical and practical terms, it is

equally important to recognize that it cannot be limited by one individual’s perception of what

education should be. Education, as shown by its historical evolution, must be a field of study

open to new ideas and platforms for accessibility. As a future educator, I believe this effort can

begin with reexamining the roles of students and teachers in the classroom. Classroom routine

does not have to be restricted to a cycle of teacher lecturing, student-completed assignments, test,

and repeat. I believe that students should be active participants in their education, rather than

passive recipients of information. By acknowledging that both the student and the teacher are

responsible for the student’s education, I can encourage more student-directed learning in my

classroom. Consequently, I believe that the idea of student-directed learning lends itself naturally

to the promotion of individualized education. Student-directed learning allows for information to

be accepted and applied by the student in a way that best fits their interests and/or needs, hence

creating an avenue for individualized education. As a future educator, my goals will include

fostering these efforts for more student-directed learning, and in turn, put a greater emphasis on

individualized education.

This rejection of absolutism within the classroom dynamics should be extended into a

conversation involving special education versus general education. Students with disabilities

should not be placed in vacuums of polarity. Just because a student is diagnosed with a mental or

physical disability, it does not mean the student has a handicap. In Smith (2004), a handicap is

defined as a limitation socially imposed upon an individual with a disability. Recognizing the

differences in these two terms is essential to bridging the gap between dichotomous stigma that

pits general education against special education. I believe that as members of the same

educational community, students with diagnosed disabilities have strengths their peers without

diagnosed disabilities can benefit from when given the opportunity. I contend that the best way

to provide this opportunity would be to advocate for more inclusive educational environments.
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When reviewing the placement of students with diagnosed disabilities in educational settings, we

must look at it through the lens of a student’s strengths, not weaknesses.

Acknowledgement of a student’s assets rather than their limitations should also extend to

our approach to students with diagnosed disabilities in urban settings, particularly those that are

also in a language minority. I think we as educators have an ethical responsibility to make every

effort to create and maintain inclusive and individualized educational environments for these

students. Students with diagnosed disabilities in urban settings and of the language minority are

often labeled as “difficult to teach” and “unwilling to learn”. I believe, however, in the Lockean

theory of tabula rasa, in which ideas and abilities are not always innate, but are the result of

experiences (Winzer, 1998, p. 215). I believe that students with diagnosed disabilities and

students in urban settings within a language minority subject to similar challenges and obstacles

of a “traditional” education system that expects them to have a ceiling for achievement. I think

that by promoting these student’s personal strengths, and encouraging those assets to be

displayed within an inclusive environment, we can begin to demolish the ceiling that seeks to

determine the limits of what our students can accomplish.

As a future teacher, my educational philosophy is focused on the necessity of inclusive,

but individualized education. I believe that every student has the capacity to learn and progress

as determined by their individualized parameters. I think that by promoting student-directed

learning, my students will be able to actively experience their achievements and find applications

for that information to other areas of their lives. I also contend that individualized education

should be translated to general education and urban education settings with the intent of creating

more inclusive environments for not only students with diagnosed disabilities, but also students

within a language minority. I believe that once we start recognizing what our students can do,

rather than what they can’t do, we as educators will be better able to create individualized

learning that promotes success for each of our students.

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References

Smith, J. D. (2004). Part I Foundational Issues. In The historical contexts of special education:

Framing our understanding of contemporary issues. University of Virginia, College at

Wise.

Winzer, M.A. (1998). A tale often told: The early progression of special education. Remedial

and

Special Education, 19(4), 212-218.