Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

My Revised Philosophy of Education

Hannah Garza
Wesleyan College

Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

Coming into Wesleyan College as a Peach County High School graduate was one of the
most difficult transitions for myself. I was leaving a school where expectations were minimal to
a school that was vigorous and the chance of making it through the first year was unlikely. I was
a lost soul searching for a path that was calling my name. I found the education department
inviting and the perfect suit for me. I took a couple education classes and immediately found a
future I could see myself in. I learned so much about myself just going through the program by
class discussion and assignments, observing, and teaching a range of content areas and grade
levels. I wrote my first philosophy paper three years ago and rereading it recently showed me
how much I have changed my views since I entered the program.
Growing up, my parents have always supported me and gave me the tools needed to
succeed in education. I grew up in a house where one parent did not finish high school and the
other did not go to college. I did not think I would ever go to college, but my parents raised me
to believe in myself. You can do anything you set your mind to. I always had a lot of pressure
on me since I am the first to go to college and now months away to be the first college graduate
in my entire family. In elementary school, I loved school so much that I would go home and play
school. My friends were always the students and I was always the teacher. In middle school, I
had great aspirations to become an astronaut. I expressed this to my seventh-grade teacher and
bluntly said I will never become an astronaut because it is not a profession for females. He goes
on to say, I know females can become an astronaut but it is very rare. You just do not have what
it takes. He crushed my dreams and my love and motivation for school became no existent. In
high school, I was just trying to get it over with and graduate. I went to a school where you were
non-existent if you were not an athlete. I made good grades and yet I didnt have anyone to
continue to motivate me. I can only thank two teachers for seeing my potential and tried to

Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

challenge me. They are the reason I am where I am today. They are to this day my true
inspirations for being a great teacher.
After graduating high school, I had a sour taste in my mouth for education. I never
thought that I would consider education as a profession. As I put more thought into it I decided
being a teacher would be great because I knew what teacher not be. I want to be the teacher that
helps the students follow their dreams, not discourage them just because of their identity. I want
to be the teacher who creates a community in the classroom where every student has a say and is
respected because each individual brings something new to the group.
Diversity within the classroom has changed within the past twenty years. There is a boom
in the Hispanic population. We are seeing more students of different races, religions, and
learning styles/intelligences. As a teacher that has lived in Middle Georgia her entire life, I must
know to be sensitive to the different cultures around me. Funds of Knowledge will be helpful in
learning more about cultures and being able to accommodate to the culture by adding elements
that are familiar to that culture. Teachers can also differentiate with different learning styles and
intelligences. 7 kinds of smart, You may be a math genius, a decent athlete, a good reader, poor
visualizer, a party animal, and a musical klutz all wrapped up in one magnificently unique
package(Armstrong, p. 7). Not all students learn in the same way and with that being said we
must offer students choices and multiple methods of learning content. The teacher must model to
the students first because these skills do not come naturally.
To have a class flow effectively you must have classroom management. Small sparks and
turn into huge flames if it is not addressed early and effectively. One thing that I have learned
about myself in teaching lessons is that I have more patience than I thought I ever would. I
thought I would be the teacher to pull out all her hair when she lost control. I learned that you

Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

have to express your expectations and the students make their own choices on to participate in
the community you build. A community should be built in your classroom. One way that I am
going to do that on the first day we are going to make a class constitution created as a class. In
doing so, the expectations were created for and by the students. If they created their own rules,
they will be more like to uphold to them.
Throughout the program, we are placed in various grades, socio-economic groups, and
teach each content area. In the first education class, Foundations of Education, we are already in
a placement. This gives us the opportunity to dip our toes in the water and see if this is what we
want to do. My first placement was at a very low-income, underprivileged school. I was able to
learn about myself and decided this was the right field for me. The next semester I was placed in
a school of exceptionalities. I was very nervous about being placed in a high school and with
students who are battling depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. I remember walking in
my first day with them warning me to not make eye contact. I walked into the classroom and I
see students fighting, one stapling his arm in the back of the room, and being immediately cursed
out because I could not follow the simple rule of not make eye contact. I feel that ever teacher
should get to know their students, however, being in a placement like this one I was willing to
wait until the students come to communicate to me. I ended up learning about most of the
students. One student, in particular, stood out to me. They were writing about different
professions and college they would like to attend. One student became very upset and said he
would never go to college. I asked him why and he responded with, because my parents never
went to college, there is no chance for me. I then explained to him that I am the first one in my
entire family to make the first step to go to college, it is a challenge, but we have to fight on. If
we really want something we have to make sure to do everything in our power to make it

Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

happen. On my last day in the placement, I was telling everyone goodbye and this student came
up to me and gave me a hug. He said, Because of you, I talked to my parents and I am going to
start applying to colleges. My eyes were watering so much. I feel like its these moments that
make a teacher love what they do.
According to the Conceptual Framework Contract I-1a, It states The Candidate possess
knowledge in fine arts, science, mathematics, social studies, and humanities(Conceptual
Framework I-1a) Going throughout the program the professors at Wesleyan gives each student
the tools and methods to be an effective teacher. In math and science we are taught different
activities and manipulatives we can use as visual for students. I believe teachers should model a
way of solving a problem, but not all students can pick up on that method. I believe there should
be multiple approaches modeled to the students, however, not only by the teacher. As a teacher,
if I spot a different approach by a student that works, I will ask them to model it to the class.
Other students might pick up on that approach better than the one I modeled. One thing that I
have learned is that there is always more than one way to approach a problem.
Growing up, I have always loved math and science. I always looked forward to school
each day just for those two subjects. However, I did not like reading or social studies. I always
dreaded it because I was always told I was a poor reader. I always read under my grade level, y
classmate would always groan when it was my turn to read. It was embarrassing and when I
struggled too much the teacher would move on to the next student to read. In the education
program at Wesleyan, I have been able to teach math, reading, social studies, and science.
Entering the program I had my heart set on teaching math, but now I am leaning more towards
reading and social studies, which is a major switch up. I found my love for these subjects and
doing so I believe I have the tools to make the subject more enjoyable through integration.

Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

Integration is one of the most effective ways to teach in content areas. However, in my
placement at Porter Elementary School, I was told they do not believe in integration and the time
for each subject is for only that subject. I truly believe students will benefit from integration
because it will allow students to make more connection with the content. One way you can gain
motivation from the class is by involving their interests, giving choice and including relevance in
what you are teaching. This does not only increase student motivation but their self-efficacy
improves also. Self efficacy is very important not only for the students but the teacher as well.
As a teacher, I will remain confident in what I teach because students can pick up on your
uncertainty and it becomes contagious throughout your class. I plan to build self-efficacy by
stating I can statements to start the day. If students believe, for example, that they have a good
chance to succeed in a reading task, they are likely to exhibit a willingness to engage in reading
and to complete the task (Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. A., & Mraz, M.,2014). As a teacher, I expect to
keep my expectations high, approachable, but high. Students should be challenged to push
themselves. This is why I believe in differentiation in my instruction.
I was lucky enough in my Classroom Management class to visit the Ron Clark Academy.
I learned of many essentials on how to run an effective classroom. However, each student is
expected to learn at the same pace, the same way, and expected to succeed. I do not entire
disagree with this because you look at how successful his school it. One thing that I took to heart
is from Ron Clarks book Move Your Bus. I love the analogy because it can work in each
situation. When a teacher gets their class they should assess and if each student is a Runner,
Jogger, Walker, Rider, or the driver. In most cases, the teacher would be the driver trying to get
the students to a certain destination. Teachers have runners who need to be challenged to keep
running, instead of the lack of a challenge to slow them down. Effective teachers can increase a

Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

students grade level by a whole grade and ineffective teachers can lower it by two grade levels.
Joggers want validation. In school, I always felt that I was more of a jogger. I succeed in my
subject, but I felt that my hard work was not showing and the runner gains all credibility. As a
teacher, I plan to praise each student for their achievements, positive reinforcement. I want to
motivate the jogger to turn into runners as well. There are walkers who just lack motivation.
They can be very bright individuals, but just lazy. As a teacher, I want to motivate them by
including their interests and having them make choices on what and how to do an assignment.
Possibly have them create their own rubric. There are Riders how simple do not care about
school, do not want to be there and are just dead weight. As a teacher, I would find some kind of
motivation for them, whether it is a great responsibility to help them learn actions have
consequences. Students must learn that the classroom is a working operation and everyone need
to put in their effort including the driver, or teacher, in order to make the operation successful
(Clark, 2015).
In my first philosophy paper, Progressivism appealed to me the most. To this day I am
still appealed to progressivism because I do not believe in the standard way of teaching where
the teacher stands in the front lecturing while expecting the students to gain their need
knowledge. Children are exploratory rather than explanatory(Fountains, 2010). Exploration is
something children are programmed to do. Children are not programmed to sit in a chair all day
to be talked at, they have a desire to participate not just attend a class. This philosophy goes well
with constructivism, which I also appeal to. Since the public school system is so diverse now I
believe this philosophy will be most effective with a diverse class. Each student can bring in
different views, perspectives, and background knowledge that they can bring forward to the class
that they may not otherwise consider. I do not believe learning only comes from the teacher or

Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

from textbooks, but from experiences and connections made with the resources needed to do so.
I also stated in my first paper how I would pick a few detail from each theory and form them in a
way where I can have my own theory, which is how I formed my philosophy. I suggested
teaching about liberal arts in Perennialism, focusing on classroom management with
Behaviorism, and express creativity and being active in the classroom through Progressivism
(Garza, H., P. 7). However, I believe constructivism is a way to combine all the theories in a way
that will be effective to get our bus rolling and arrive at the destination with ease and success.
Nelson Mandela once said, Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use
to change the world. Teachers are shaping society and forming individuals to become
successful by giving them tools needed to succeed. I am not going to be a traditional teacher. I do
not believe in teachers lecturing the students and expecting them to learn is feasible. Teachers
have the resources in front of them. Why should we not use the student? Education should be
enjoyable. It should be a place where students are excited to come in and learn. They should feel
accepted and respected. I will be the first one to have a student help teach the class on content
when they feel comfortable enough to do so. With that being said, I cannot wait to become a
teacher to not only teach the students but to have the students teach me.

Running Head: MY REVISED PHILOSPHY OF EDUCATION

References:
Armstrong, T. (1993). 7 kinds of smart: Identifying and developing your many intelligences. New
York, NY: Plume.
Clark, R. (2015). Move Your Bus. New York, NY: Touchstone
Garza, H. (2014). My Philosophy of Education. Not Published
Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. A., & Mraz, M. (2014). Content area reading: Literacy and learning
across the curriculum. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Webb, L. D. (2010). Foundations of American Education. Columbus, OH: Kevin M. Davis.
Wesleyans Conceptual Framework Contract