My Educational Philosophy

I am of the belief that it is important for an educator to evaluate why they are in the education business. Why do they teach? It is something that I like to re-evaluate annually adding or subtracting any points that I believe are now relevant or irrelevant.

I was first asked why I wanted to be a teacher in late 1988 when I went to an interview in order to gain entry to university to study education. I hurriedly came up with an answer in preparation for being asked this question. I thought to myself that I would like to teach in order to play a role in the future of the world. I know this sounds incredibly idealistic but 24 years later it is still something in which I truly believe.

In my final year of university we were asked to do an assessment piece by writing our educational philosophy.  I raised an objection to this with the lecturer. I enquired as to how we could be assesses on something which is a personal belief. I then asked the lecturer “To get a high mark on this task do we need to get our philosophy as close to yours as possible?”  To no one’s real surprise I did not excel in this task.

Anyhow in 2012 staff at my then school was asked to include an educational philosophy in our yearly program. Staff not familiar with this process were shown some examples and then we were sent away to write. I enjoyed this opportunity to further up date my beliefs. In the same we that we are continually updating how I teach I believe it is important to update why we teach. So this is what I wrote........

I like to think I provide a warm, caring yet challenging classroom environment for my students. I aim to challenge and set out to do so from the first day of the year. Going hand in hand with the challenge is complete support. Students are going to be far more receptive to being challenged if they know that they are being supported both at home and at school.

To illustrate this challenge and I support to students I use the analogy of learning to ride a bike. It is challenging the first time someone attempts to ride with no training wheels but there is always someone there to run alongside helping whenever it is required.

Students grow from being challenged. If there are not challenged they will not grow.

One of my class rules is to not accept mediocrity. This rule is reinforced to the students. This means that what I expect at all times is for the students to give their very best. If it is not their best they will be asked to resubmit the piece.

Literacy underpins almost everything we do at school. I openly encourage reading ensuring that all students read a novel every two weeks. My goal is for students to grow to love reading. I am always disappointed to discover that they do not read once they have finished in my class. Reading takes an individual places.

Technology plays a significant role in my teaching life. It is important that as an educator I keep abreast of the development in the ed tech world. The student’s of today are always eager to explore and experiment with technology and discover how it will enhance their lives both in and out of school. I like to harness this enthusiasm and use it in the classroom. The classroom of today is changing rapidly and I like to be a part of this change.

In the same sense as technology I am always open, and search for, for new ideas and innovation I can bring to the classroom. As an educator I tire and become bored with repeating the same unit year in year out. I like to find ways to vary and change the content and the manner in which it is delivered. 

Communication is essential for success in the classroom. On the first day of the year I begin communicating with the parent s of my students. It is vital they are aware of all that is occurring in the classroom. I ensure these lines of communication are kept open via face to face, email and phone class whenever it is required.

Homework is a non negotiable in my classroom. I realise it is an emotive topic but I am of the belief that doing homework establishes healthy habits that will be crucial in future education. Students still need the opportunity to relax and unwind but homework and reading need to be an important facet of their daily lives.

Behaviour management is an area which I believe is a strength of mine. I place high expectations on the behavioural standards of the students in my class. From the outset of the year the students are aware of what I expect in the area of behaviour and what the consequences are if these standards are not met.  I am of the belief that self discipline plays a large role in success any field but students at school may often need assistance in establishing this discipline.