Teaching is one of the few realistic ways to actually make the world a better place, something numerous people strive to do. I am a teacher in part for this reason; I want to improve children’s lives and the education system as a whole. This all begins with my love for teaching and my teaching philosophy. I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in third grade, and I have just as much passion, if not more, for teaching as I did then. Sometimes I feel like I am still that same little girl, filled with a love of learning. I relate to children much more easily than I do to my peers and those older than me, and this is something I want to use to my advantage. I want to help children enjoy school, develop a love of learning, impact their lives in a positive way, and be an inspiration. I aspire to be a role model for my students and to be the teacher that was worth remembering. This dream commences with my teaching philosophy, which encompasses who I am as a teacher and my personal views of children’s education.
School is a place for learning, but also for enjoyment; it is a place for children to grow mentally, socially, emotionally, physically, psychologically, and in every other dimension possible. The purpose of schooling is to learn basic academics such as math, reading, writing, science, and history. However, learning how to socialize with others, to make friends and to be a good friend, to learn not only from the teacher but also from peers, and to gain confidence in abilities is crucial as well. It is not all about what teachers impart on their students, but also what students impart on themselves. I believe that “the heart of teaching lies not in the imparting or facilitating of objective, authoritative knowledge, but rather in the creation of opportunities to engage children in deep interpersonal relations so that they will feel validated and so that they will have opportunities to begin processes of emancipatory knowledge construction for themselves” (O’Loughlin 4). As a teacher, my goal is not to push so much information into my students’ minds that they are overwhelmed and cannot comprehend the material. Rather, I must provide my students with enough opportunities and engagement so that they can construct knowledge for themselves. Children absorb knowledge like sponges, and they do so without an adult spoon-feeding it to them. As long as children are guided in the right direction, they will construct knowledge, learn, and grow on their own. It is my responsibility as an educator to provide students with the experience and tools they need to be able to learn independently. The purpose of schooling is not necessarily to give children knowledge, but to help them develop the ability to construct knowledge.
The purpose of early childhood education is more than just giving children the ability to construct knowledge, however. School is important for not only creating excellent students, but excellent people. As a teacher, I want to show my students what it means to be a good learner, but more importantly I want to illustrate what it means to be a good person. I believe that “one way or another, a teacher’s responsibility (and opportunity) is to help children become not only good learners but good people” (Kohn 245). I aspire to make a difference in my students’ lives, and I can do so by helping them to grow into good-hearted individuals. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to encourage students to be respectful, kind, caring, empathetic, and cooperative. I must illustrate these characteristics, and then urge students to behave with them in mind. Many children may not have a proper role model at home or someone who can tell them the values of life, so this is where schooling is crucial. I want to be a role model for my students and inspire them to be good people. Good people are generally happy, healthy, and productive citizens, which is what the education system wants to give children the opportunity to be. Schooling doesn’t just create good learners; it creates good people.
The purpose of schooling is also to provide children with the tools they need to be successful in the future. There are certain life skills that must be taught in school to prepare children to venture off into the real world. It is the role of early childhood education, according to the conforming to society approach, to “prepare the child for the adult world so that the child can adjust and contribute appropriately to that world” (MacNaughton 122). Information about the workings of society must be shared with children so that they can understand how life works for the present, but also for the future. The education system should teach children about topics such as careers, culture, housework, daily routines, etc. These topics will allow children to understand the functions of society, and allow them to develop into contributing members of that society. Children are the future, and we need to teach them about society so they have the opportunity to thrive in it and uphold what generations have established. The purpose of early childhood education is to give children the opportunity to construct knowledge, to be good people, and to be contributing members to society and the world. As a teacher, I will stand by these purposes of schooling and instill these concepts in my students.
It is also important to me that I assist my students in social and emotional development. Because childhood is a crucial time for the development of social skills as well as handling emotions, I will provide my students with the opportunity to interact with one another, and ensure that emotions are being properly handled during these situations. For example, using the phrase “Did you use your words?” to a child who expresses that he or she has had their feelings hurt. When my students are playing with one another or interacting in any manner, there are bound to be some disagreements or issues. I see these as learning opportunities and will encourage the children to express their feelings to each other respectfully. Social and emotional development is a major component of early childhood education, and it is my responsibility as a teacher to support this process.
Not only is encouraging these behaviors important, but how I model these behaviors, according to the social learning theory, is also very critical as “early childhood educators need to be aware of the social behaviours that they engage in and ensure that they are those that they wish the children to emulate” (MacNaughton 33). As I previously stated, I aspire to be a role model for my students, and part of this is demonstrating the appropriate social and emotional behavior that I wish to see in them. As an early childhood educator, it is important to realize that I am a main figure in my students’ lives, and I can change students’ lives by being a role model, for either the good or the bad. Especially for those students who do not have a proper role model at home, teachers can have a major influence on a child’s social development. As a teacher, I must always engage in appropriate behavior in order to illustrate to students the proper way to act in certain situations. I want my students to handle conflict appropriately, use kind language and manners, and behave in the classroom, so I must act this way in order for students to emulate it. Not only must I act appropriately in the classroom, but also outside of the classroom, whether out to dinner, grocery shopping, etc. Even social media must be child friendly, as children and their parents have access to this as well. Children imitate the behavior of adults, so it is important that this imitated behavior is positive to ensure that my students’ social and emotional development is not hindered by my actions.
Play will also be a major component of learning in my classroom. As a child, I never necessarily considered play, or recess, as an important aspect of the school day. My classmates and I always loved to go outside and play games together or climb on the jungle gym, but was it essential for our learning? As I have seen in my experiences and been made aware through various research, play is indeed useful and necessary. Many people who are unfamiliar with the benefits of play view it as a distraction that takes time away from academics. They fail to recognize that play is just as important for children as the ABCs. Play is what children are best at, and adults should not limit children’s play, as this will only limit learning. Play allows children to use their imaginations, fulfill their wishes and feel empowered, and gain a sense of open-mindedness; it teaches children how to socialize, develops large motor skills, keeps them physically active, and allows them to act out life scenarios. “Play is the work of children,” and as a teacher I would never dismiss any of my students’ work (Paley 1). Children create play, and play creates children; it is a two-way relationship that will be a crucial element of my teaching.
Just as play is an important aspect of education, diversity and inclusive classrooms are crucial as well. In early childhood, or at any educational level for that matter, it is essential to recognize various cultures in the classroom and incorporate them into the curriculum. It is important to realize that, as the transforming to society approach suggests, “knowledge is problematic because it is socially constructed to serve the needs and interests of particular groups of people – all knowledge comes from culture and is, therefore, culturally limited and culturally bound” (MacNaughton 195). In obtaining my ESL certification and working with diverse populations, I have learned a lot about culture and its influence in the classroom. Many people do not realize that nearly everything we learn in school is influenced by culture. When learning history in American elementary schools, for example, children learn anything that relates to America or local history. The subjects of math problems may be Susie and Bobby rather than diverse names such as Latoya and Juan. Even grammar is culturally bound, such as teaching African American children that they must say “asked” instead of “aksed.” Knowledge is socially constructed, and this causes problems in a diverse classroom. It is important as a teacher to recognize the limits of knowledge and to teach in a way that is culturally relevant and accepting. I will allow my students to express themselves culturally, inquire about the culture of my students, and share this culture with the class in a way that is insightful and informative. As a teacher, I will understand that knowledge has cultural limits and not teach to the culture, but teach culture.
Perhaps the most significant components of early childhood education, curriculum and academics, are imperative to the manner in which my classroom will function. In concordance with the social constructivist view, I believe that “there is no longer a right or correct way to teach the child; instead, there are many possible answers. The educator’s job is to discover these answers with the child, to have her or his own knowledges transformed through the child and vice versa. The educator is not the expert but collaborates with the child to produce knowledge of the world” (MacNaugton 76). In education, teachers must understand that every child is different. Regardless of what developmentally appropriate practice says about children reaching certain milestones at certain ages, some children will be behind and some will be ahead. These terms are not even necessarily correct, however, because a child’s development is unique, meaning that every child is unique. Because children have their own personalities and are their own people, there is no one correct way to teach, and thus no one perfect curriculum. Just as some children learn visually, others learn better through auditory stimuli, and teachers need to recognize this. As teachers, it is important to realize that we do not know everything. Studies show that it takes ten years to become an expert on something, but in the ever-evolving world of early childhood education, it most likely takes much longer, and is perhaps not even possible. Keeping this in mind, we must adjust our teaching and the curriculum to the children and allow the children to tell us what they need to succeed. Teachers are not experts, and neither are the children, but together, they just might be. The students must be considered in curriculum development.
Because curriculum should take the students into consideration, it should never be completely pre-developed before meeting students and assessing their needs. Curriculum is not only a list of subjects and topics to cover, and it “is more than pieces of information, more than subject matter, more even than the disciplines. Curriculum is an ongoing engagement with the problem of determining what knowledge and experiences are most worthwhile. With each person and each situation, that problem takes on unique shadings and different meanings” (Ayers and Alexander-Tanner 67). When it comes to curriculum, nothing should be set in stone. Yes, a plan needs to be created. Yes, it is suitable to follow this plan. However, curriculum should be flexible and ever-changing. It is more than simply teaching students what a book tells you to say or teaching a certain topic because that is what is required. Curriculum is engaging; it is knowing what students need to succeed and giving them the opportunity to do so. Children may learn better from completing an activity than from being lectured, for example, so it is important to determine the best methods of teaching that match the curriculum provided. As teachers, we may not have complete control of what we are teaching, but we have more control over how we teach it. We may be told to teach children about the seasons, but the way in which we do that is in our hands. We need to see what works, what doesn’t, and determine the best way to teach each child.
My teaching philosophy, which emphasizes the purpose of schooling, social and emotional development, play, diversity and inclusive classrooms, and curriculum and academics has been developed from reflecting on my past experiences as a child, theories that relate to children’s education, and my teaching experience. My beliefs are not focused solely on one theory, as I have incorporated social learning theory, social constructivism, conforming to society, transforming society, and a variety of other ideas. There are numerous concepts and beliefs that my teaching philosophy is based on, and this is just the beginning of an ever-growing and ever-changing belief system. I accept and embrace student personalities and needs. I recognize that learning is a unique experience. I aspire to motivate students to discover their unique strengths and abilities. I aim to provide a stimulating and nurturing learning environment that encourages students to work hard and develop a love of learning. My goal is to foster 21st century learners and critical thinkers through the growth mindset, COVA, digital learning, STREAM. I teach in multiple ways. I teach in color.
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Works Cited (MLA)
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Ayers, William, and Ryan Alexander-Tanner. To Teach: The Journey, in Comics. New York: Teachers College, 2010. Print.
Kohn, Alfie. Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print.
MacNaughton, Glenda. Shaping Early Childhood: Learners, Curriculum and Contexts. Maidenhead: Open UP, 2003. Print.
O'Loughlin, Michael. "Appropriate for Whom?: A Critique of the Culture and Class Bias Underlying Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Education." Rev. of DAP Position Statement. 1992. Print.
Paley, Vivian Gussin. A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play. Chicago: University of
Chicago, 2004. Print.