Educational Philosophy

      Everyone has their own beliefs, values, methods and goals in regards to teaching within their own classrooms, which helps to make up their educational philosophy. There are many different educational philosophies out there. Some teachers are focused on behavior and how that influences education, while others are progressivists, which means they believe the child should be the focus, not the subject matter. Recently, I took a quiz, titled Educational Philosophies Self-Assessment, to see what type of educational philosophy I had, and the results said that my philosophy is humanism.
      The humanistic philosophy focuses on children becoming the best they can be, as well as the student's potential for growth. The results of this quiz said that some of the beliefs of within the humanistic philosophy are "human beings can control their own destiny, people are inherently good and will strive for a better world, people are free to act but must be responsible; behavior is the consequence of human choice; and people possess unlimited potential for growth and development." Although I don't believe all of these, I agree with most of them. Most of the time, I like to think that people are inherently good, although that is not always the case. I also agree with the fact that people are free to act, but must be responsible. I am a huge believer in students taking responsibility for their own actions, rather than blaming someone else or trying the change the story, simply to avoid the consequence.

      I think out of all the beliefs the quiz results listed, I believe that "the people possess unlimited potential for growth and development" the most. I think that this relies heavily on their environment, who they are around, who they are influenced by, and whether people take the time to listen, care, and understand them. People, especially children, can and only will soar when they are in the proper environment with proper guidance. One of the self-assessment statements was "if encouraging and nourishing environments are provided, learning will flourish naturally because all people have an inherent tendency to learn," and I believe this wholeheartedly. I have seen students thrive in the classroom settings throughout my times of observations. With the right role models, educators, etc., students will have a motivation to learn. Another statement on the self-assessment was "the role of the teacher is to help create a nurturing atmosphere for students and promote the growth of the whole person," and I think that it is extremely important, and I hope I can do this for all of my students in the future.

      The results of this quiz were extremely accurate, and I see many of these characteristics in myself already during observations, and as a babysitter. I am a very nurturing, loving and understanding person, and I think that I will continue to possess these qualities as a teacher in the future as well. I like to see the good in everyone, although it is difficult in this day and age, rather than the bad. I think everyone has the potential to do anything their heart desires, as long as they are guided, positively influenced, and that they are in the proper environment. I suggest that every teacher, current or future, takes the Educational Philosophies Self-Assessment and learns about themselves and their philosophies within the classroom setting.