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Tina Johnsen
EDU 202
Professor Christensen
of which questions I would be able to answer. I have spent many years in classrooms, but never
in a position of responsibility for the students overall education: classroom setting, curriculum
and lesson plans, discipline, reports and parent communication. It seemed a daunting task to lay
out a philosophy on something that still seems so far from what I am prepared for.
I have always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember; my first job was
working in the preschool room of our local day care. I love learning and the feeling of gaining
new information, but I know that not everyone else has that same excitement and thirst for
knowledge. I have been in many classrooms and have seen great differences in
the energy of those classrooms. Some teachers have a quiet calm about
them that sets the tone, while others use a bigger presence to show control.
I would like to be the teacher that has a warm and welcoming classroom where the students feel
comfortable and safe. Even if they dont enjoy or understand the subject that is being taught, they
at least look forward to being in my room each day. Spending time observing at Mannion Middle
School, I was again able to spend time in multiple classrooms. I found this to be beneficial and
the experience fit into what I thought would enhance an effective teacher education program!
essentialism and progressivism. The teacher-centered philosophy of essentialism instills the core
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academic knowledge, patriotism, and character development. I feel that this is the responsibility
of the schools to provide these traditional disciplines. How they are provided is where I see the
early stages of Americas education system, the duty of transferring knowledge from one
generation to the next was the teachers basic role essentialism. As time passed, our country
grew and changed. As the country became more concerned with the diversity and equality of
education, some educators, like John Dewey, began the movement towards progressive
education. The federal government has become an integral part of our school system, with testing
remnants of No Child Left Behind and the anything-but-standard standards of the Common Core.
I hope to see the states take back control and delegate the task of teaching back to the local
students learning experience, preparing them, based on their individual needs, for their future. It
would allow a classroom that all students could thrive in; I could lecture, do hands-on projects,
and utilize technology and the arts. All of these aspects of my classroom would touch the diverse
group of learners that are in our classrooms now. Different learning styles and levels of
giftedness would blend together and learn together and thrive together. I would imagine that
most teachers have this as their perfect vision of a well-balanced classroom and it will be a
challenge just to get the students attention during those first few weeks, maybe even months. If I
surround myself with great mentors and stay true to my dreams, I will eventually be able to blend
As of right now, I plan to finish my Associates Degree in the spring. I will be able to
transfer to Nevada State College and pursue my Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education with
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an emphasis on Math. I currently work for the Clark County School District and plan to continue
in the classroom as I finish my own education. I hope that my experience and network of
colleagues will make my transition to Teacher as seamless as possible. I enjoyed the service
learning aspect of this class and will continue to serve my community as well as instill those
Now that my philosophy has been laid out, I feel more confident in my feelings about my
progress in this journey. Breaking it down made it manageable to wrap my head around and I
feel that my thoughts and feelings about my future in education are strong and doable. I look
forward to gaining the specific knowledge and experience that will further strengthen my
abilities to help shape the next generations and the future of our great country.