Running head: EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT 1

Educational Philosophy Statement

Tanner Boley

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Educational Philosophy Statement

Thinking about being a teacher and all of the influence we can have on our students can

at times seem a little daunting. I say this because as a teacher our words, actions, and everything

in between are witnessed in the classroom. Our students will absorb this information and these

behaviors in ways that may impact their lives in the future. I feel that this is why it is so

important for every teacher to have a philosophy about his or her teaching, so students can know

what to expect, teachers can feel comfortable, and there is a feeling of mutual respect within the

classroom.

For a learning environment to be successful, I feel that as teachers we need to truly

recognize that all students are different and unique in their own ways. While one student may be

an excellent reader, their actual writing ability could be lacking. Another student could be

familiar with math, but completely dislike science because they have never understood it.

Further, these differences extend far outside the classroom. For example, there may be some

students whose parents cannot afford to give them lunch money, while other students have

money and simply choose not to eat. Some students could stay up until 3 am “just for fun,”

while another student stayed up desperately trying to finish an assignment, and even another

because their parents were fighting. Not only is each and every student unique, we need to

remember that students’ lives, like our own, are constantly changing (both positively and

negatively). We may encounter a student who has continuously had to move and change

schools, or one that has lived in the same place their whole life. A student’s parents could have

just gotten married, or on the other hand, just gotten divorced. While I am not saying it is the

teachers’ job to dig in to their students’ private lives, it is extremely important to remember that

many external factors play into classroom performance and ability.

According to Richards, Brown, and Forde (2007) it is vital for teachers to recognize any

personal biases they may hold. As they explain, “Because teachers’ values impact relationships

with students and their families, teachers must reconcile negative feelings towards any cultural,

language, or ethnic group.” This is critical in my opinion because most classrooms today consist

of a diverse population, not simply a majority group and a minority group. For me, this ties

directly into ensuring that all students in my classroom feel included. This involves having

students work in different groups throughout the year, so students who typically may not have

interacted are essentially forced to do so. Also, when a question is asked I will not repeatedly

select the same few students. Instead, I will mix things up and often choose students who are not

raising their hand. I will not do this to be mean or pick on anyone, but rather to keep everyone in

the classroom involved, as well as keeping myself from forming any repetitive habits.

I believe students learn best when they are allowed to explore various learning styles, as

opposed to being stuck to a certain style. According to Sadker and Zittleman (2016), learning

styles are “diverse ways of learning, comprehending, and using information….learning styles

may be as unique as handwriting.” This speaks to me because I have been in classrooms where I

felt like I was the only one who did not grasp the concepts being taught. While I was likely not

the only one in the room with that feeling, it was certainly discouraging and impeded me from

moving forward. Utilizing various styles for students to learn can allow for a wider group to try

and understand what is being taught, rather than a single-minded approach. Not only will

students find themselves able to understand concepts better, these different styles can help me as

the teacher grow and learn new methods. It seems we often learn more from the lessons that are

flops than the ones that are successful.

I believe I learn best when I am able to move around and interact with others. Hearing

others’ ideas and being able to formulate new ones allows for creativity in the learning process.

While activities such as these require classroom control, the benefits are both educational and

social. For me, participation is huge in the classroom as it engages everyone more equally than

picking on individual students. Being someone that does not necessarily raise my hand all too

often, I like being able to participate with other students in a small group setting.

A major aspect I have grown to see more out of the teacher’s eyes is classroom control.

Throughout my classes I have noticed a difference in classes where the students and teacher have

a mutual respect, as well as where the opposite is true. Being able to have a solid rapport with

students is something I feel will come with actual experience in teaching. As I become more

natural with the teaching profession as a whole, I believe this will echo a comfort into the

classroom. This is something I have noticed in my observations of good teachers with students

in classes I have been in. Thinking about being a teacher is exciting to me and I certainly look

forward to it, which is weird considering how long I have been a student now.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT 5

References

Richards, H. V., Brown, A. F., & Forde, T. B. (2007). Addressing Diversity in Schools:

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Council for Exceptional Children, 39(3), 64-68.

Retrieved April 6, 2016, from webcampus.unlv.edu.

Sadker, D. M., & Zittleman, K. R. (2016). Teachers, Schools, and Society: A brief introduction

to education (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.