Philosophy of Education 1

Autobiography and Philosophy of Education

Chris Atkin

ITL 600 Becoming a Teacher

Terry Shorey

April 13, 2019

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Growing up I did not enjoy my time in school. I was excited to start kindergarten but in

first grade I had my worst experience in a classroom. My first grade teacher had the look of an

old oak tree, weathered and rough. She had a scowl that she gave that would send chills to your

core. These things were not exactly the issue, but they portrayed the rough encounter that I was

about to have. She was demeaning to her students by singling them out and belittling them. This

goes against the AAE Code of Ethics for Educators (Sharkey). She never showed a respect for

me, nor gave me an equal opportunity to improve as she shunned me.

Reading was a challenge for me but I tried to do the best I could with it. I remember the

day quite clearly as we were reading in class and following along. She called on me to read out

loud and I made many mistakes as I attempted to get through the text. She must have had

enough because she stopped me in the middle and with a stern voice said, “Chris, go to the back

table as I can see that you are to dumb to read anything.” I put my head down, walking back to

the table, felling crushed and stupid. From that day forward I never tried in school. I had many

teachers reach out to me and ask why I refused to show any effort, but I never shared my story.

You would have never guessed that I would now have the desire to become a teacher. As

I grew older and began to learn about myself, I discovered a desire to help children learn. I am

sure part of the fire that fuels this passion is related to my past experience in first grade. Students

should have every opportunity to learn without judgement or ridicule. An old college professor

helped me see the value in helping others. He showed me through his class that not all teachers

taught this way. I knew this but felt scarred from my experience in first grade. As I continued to

take more classes to complete my degree, new positive experiences arose. My belief of what a

teacher could be and should be had changed. I felt safe and valued as I shared my thoughts and

ideas. I knew that I wanted to give this to all students as this was taken from me at an early age.
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Eric Moore (2015) shared a similar belief in his My Educational Philosophy. He explained that

one of the areas that leads to success in his classroom is learning environment. I realized that for

me, this was crucial as I reflected on my past and new experiences within a classroom.

Evidence of this new found love became real as I became an inclusion aide in special

education at an elementary school. I realized immediately that I had a passion for working with

children to help them achieve more than they believed they could. I quickly enrolled in a

teaching program at National and have not looked back since. The teachers I have had in college

have inspired me to become a teacher because they have showed me that they truly cared about

my learning and growth as an individual.

Using the Educational Philosophy Survey (Sadker, 1997), I scored highest in the area of

progressivism. I agree with this evaluation because I believe that teachers should be facilitators

with students. Students should be at the center of the learning and will value their learning more

if they discover it for themselves. This can occur through student led discussions and

questioning to refine their thinking and justifying their ideas. I was somewhat surprise that my

lowest score was in existentialism because I do believe that teachers should create opportunities

for students to lead their learning.

As I reflect on this autobiography and my philosophy, I know that my past helps drive me

to become a better teacher. Understanding that students can come with different challenges will

help lead me to show empathy to their struggles, but also give them encouragement to overcome

them. Supplying a safe environment for students to be venerable and take risks will allow a

culture of growth and support within my classroom. I look forward to consistently strive for this

improvement and to continue to be a life-long learner.

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References

Moore, E. T. (2015, August 07). My Educational Philosophy. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/my-educational-

philosophy/

Sadker, M., & Sadker, D. (1997). Philosophy Of Education Survey: Teachers, schools and

society(4th ed., Pp. 403-405.). NY: McGraw Hill.

Sharkey, C. (n.d.). Association of American Educators. Retrieved April 10, 2019, from

https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics