Parker Grigsby

Philosophy of Education

Introduction to Education

April 25, 2017

Although there are multiple ways to go wrong in a classroom as a teacher, there is also a multitude of ways to succeed in the profession of molding young minds. A very wise man once said, “A great doctor can perform surgery and save a kid’s life, but a great teacher can reach the heart of that kid and allow him to truly live.” That quote stuck with me, just due to fact that it was catchy. However, once I went through my Introduction to Education course, my eyes were opened to the terrible realities occurring throughout our country. As a teacher, it is your job not only to educate children to allow them to better themselves in the future, but to also greet them with an open smile. You never know what is going on outside the classroom. It is crucial to use every opportunity you have to be a bright spot in a child’s day.

With that being said, I also realize how important professionalism is as an educator. It is important to be fair to every child in your class. It is important to remember, fair does not necessarily mean sameness. Regardless of the child’s race or gender, they must receive a fair treatment from their teacher. A good rule of thumb, in my opinion, is to teach with a blind eye. Along with race and gender, a teacher must also never discriminate based on the child’s background, social class, or religion. Along with personal traits, it is important to teach in a fashion that is helpful to all students.

Many people believe that curriculum is all there is to teaching, and even though that is far from true, it is very important. When presenting the content, it is crucial that you remember that you will always have students that excel in school, and you’ll also have students who aren’t up to grade level standards in certain subjects, and you must make sure they aren’t left behind. Another way to help students learn is to incorporate life experiences into the lessons. For example, a football player is more likely to pay attention if the word problem is discussing yards gained or points scored.

Personally, I believe it is beneficial to teach lessons in different styles. Lecture some for the audial learners. Show an ample number of examples on the board for visual learners. Not every student learns best the same way. It is important to incorporate lessons in which students can communicate and work together along with lessons that emphasize on individual instruction. This gives the teacher a chance to touch base with each child and see how well they are understanding the material at hand.

Another very important aspect of the education process is classroom management. The idea is to make every child comfortable in the classroom. It can be factors as simple to temperature and seating arrangements all the way to appropriate rapport. Your classroom should be a setting in which the most effective educating can take place. It is important to have diversity in everything in your room such as decorations. You want all students to feel included, regardless of race, gender, or culture.

Lastly, regular assessment can very easily be argued for being the most important part of educating. Without regular assessment, how are we to determine how well the students are grasping the content. Although, assessment doesn’t necessarily mean heavily weighted exams. It can be as simple as simple lesson summary quizzes at the end of the class period. This helps promote paying attention because the students will know they are going to be asked questions about the material. It also helps show which students understand the material and which are struggling. Assessment even shows which parts of the lesson you should go back and review with the class because a large portion of them misunderstood it the first time through.

In conclusion, there is no such thing as the perfect teacher. However, it is a disappointment anytime a teacher doesn’t strive to be. It is one of the most, if not the most important job in our country. It is our role as teachers to prepare our youth for their futures. Educating the students in mathematics, English, science, along with other subjects such as music and art is the obvious part of education. However, it is also the teacher’s job to prepare them for life outside of school. Now for the part that isn’t exactly a requirement as a teacher. However, in my mind, this is easily the most important part of the job. Show the children what it means to be a decent human being. Give them someone to look up to and respect. Not everyone has that. Yet, every child should have someone in their life that exemplifies kindness, responsibility, fairness, honorable, and thoughtful of others. After all, even if they have multiple good influences in their life, what could one more ever hurt?