My Philosophy of Education
As a teacher, I believe that the purpose of public education in a democracy is to ensure that each individual becomes a responsible citizen who is able to make positive contributions to the society. Public education should equally serve the educational needs of the students from diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds with varying degrees of English language fluency. All students have a right to a classic, high quality education that enriches their lives beyond essential and vocational skills, free from socioeconomic stereotyping. Providing schools, teachers, and students with the resources needed to achieve and sustain high national standards should be the top priority for our nation. Year-round schooling with increased instructional time for each year of a child’s primary and secondary education will strengthen academic skills so students can meet higher national standards. A classic curriculum that focuses in depth, on language, literature, mathematics/computer science, and social studies, adequately meets the essential needs or national minimum proficiency education standards. In the book America’s Teachers: An Introduction to Education (1996), J. W. Newman states that Mortimer J. Adler, a leader of education perennialism calls for a return to focusing on the classics as “art forms that represent the best of human endeavor.”
A classic curriculum must include movement education via physical education and the performing arts programs that exemplify the California State Standards. To be productive citizens students must also be provided with experiences, to abet the development of self-esteem, self-expression, self-awareness, and to ensure a physically active lifestyle. For the first time in many years the nation life expectancy may be lowered due to sedentary and poor nutrition trends. The seeds for a future that includes a healthy, physically active lifestyle are planted should be planted by public education.
It is important to provide many possibilities for students to make the connection of how their own experience, and individual uniqueness, becomes an essential component of the larger group dynamic at school. When students feel a sense of belonging, the classroom environment becomes an ideal place for learning. If the socioeconomic diversity of both the students and the community is recognized and celebrated in the classroom, then education will become a top priority for the community, and the teacher has facilitated the process of enlightenment.
Emma Jürgensen Kheradyar