I'll warn you up front that this is a long post. This is an five page paper I wrote for my foundations in education class. Some of it might interest you none, but I wanted to include all of it and give everyone the chance to see inside my head a little bit.
Perennialism
The philosophy of Perennialism believes that truth is constant over time. In many ways, my views on teaching agree with Perennialism. I feel that a classroom must be structured for students to really learn. It helps students know what to expect in class and to know what you, the teacher, expect from them. I also believe that most truths are constant over time. As a chemistry teacher, there will be many things I will teach that have been true for hundreds of years. There will also be some knowledge I provide to students that will be relatively new information. New discoveries are being made in science all the time so I will have to get out of my rut that everything should be the same every year. I do not agree with perennialism that extracurriculars are unimportant as are the feelings of students. Sometimes extracurricular activities are the only things that motivate students to do well in their classes.
Progressivism
Progressivism, which is the total opposite of perennialism, has three main principles that guide it. The first is that the context of the curriculum should be founded around students’ interests, not academic disciplines. I partially agree with this. I feel that students’ interests must be taken into consideration, but that should not dictate the lessons. Students should be given some liberty when it comes to things like research papers, science projects, and book reports. The second principle that guides progressivism is that the whole child should be taken into account as should his of her interests and needs in relation to cognitive, affective, and psychomotor areas. Sometimes for a class to progress as needs, you cannot focus on each individual student and his or her needs specifically, but you should look for signs that students are having difficulties so you can help them appropriately. The third principle is that learning is that learning is essentially active rather than passive. I think that there should be a good balance between active and passive learning. Personally, I learn best by listening to lectures, taking notes, and then doing homework and/or practice problems. Some of my close friends learn little from lectures and notes but learn much from actually doing. This has helped me realize that a successful classroom must have balance between active and passive learning so all students have an equal opportunity to learn.
Essentialism
The philosophy of essentialism is similar to perennialism. Like a perenialist classroom, an essentialist classroom will be conservative, traditional, and be well structured which are things I previously stated I liked. The main thing essentialism is know for is the “back to basics” movement. The “basics” are essential knowledge and skills that productive members of society need to know – reading, writing, and math. I am currently employed as a cashier. While working I have seen many people lacking the ability to read labels or to count out change. I feel that reading, writing, and math skills are essential to leading a productive life and that teachers should be held responsible, along with parents, for teaching children these skills.
Existentialism
Existentialism is a philosophy that focuses on individuals not on groups. This is a philosophy that I cannot see eye-to-eye with on nearly everything. Chemistry does not change with individuals. An atom is an atom no matter who you are. Density will always be mass divided by volume. These are concepts that do not change with the feelings of students. It is not that I thing students’ feelings should be ignored; I just feel that for the most part what I teach will not be dependent upon students. If students bring up discussion about something relevant to what we are discussing in class, that would be excellent, but if students do not like learning about empirical formulas, they will still have to learn it. I might adjust my style so that they are more interested, but I will not adjust my overall curriculum over the whims of students.
Social Reconstructionism
Social reconstructionism’s major thought is that school be the leaders in rebuilding society. I agree that schools can have a great impact upon society. Schools may be the only place that some children have positive influences in their lives. When these children look at their families and others around them, they do not see what wonderful opportunities are in our world to help others and to succeed. I also like schools providing opportunities for students to do community service, but I do not agree that schools should be allowed to make it a mandatory part of the curriculum. I do not plan on making this a mandatory part of my classes, but if I were to sponsor a club, I think I would demand a certain number of community service hours from each student involved. If they were to need help finding places and/or ways to volunteer, I would gladly help them.
Motivation for Becoming a Teacher
The major reason I have decided to become a teacher is that my experience in high school was the best four years of my life thus far. I had excellent teachers that pushed me and motivated me. They had an evident passion for their jobs. I don’t mean to say that there were no teachers I disliked any or that I fully agreed with the teaching methods of all of my high school teachers, but all of them provided me with an experience I will cherish for the entirety of my life. I had exposure to many different teaching styles. I got to see something that worked and others that did not.
When it came time for me to start filling out college applications and decide on a major, I had a very hard time. I went through many possible majors my senior year, none of which felt right until the beginning of May. This is when I decided that I wanted to be a chemistry teacher. I had decided on nursing as a major before this but realized how much I was going to miss math and science classes, especially chemistry. I did not feel that being a lab chemist was the right path for me to take; I do not do well with repetitive jobs or being confined to one place. Teaching seemed like the perfect option. It would provide me with the opportunity to spread my love of and passion for chemistry to others. I have been in enough classrooms to know that it is never a boring job; students highly unpredictable.
Looking back now, I realize I have always been a teacher at heart. I was the student who was the teacher’s assistant. I was often the person that peers would come to for help with homework: not just answers but help, coaching in the correct direction. My favorite game as a young child was to play school and I always had to be the teacher. I made worksheets for my niece and nephews just for fun when I was younger. For as long as I can remember, I have know the joy in seeing the looking on someone’s face when they finally understand a concept or get a well earned A on a test.
I long to be the teacher that inspires students. I want students to truthfully say that I am a teacher who cares about the success of her students. I want them to be able to see that I love what I’m doing and that I love what I’m teaching about. I want them to understand that chemistry is a subject that is all around them. I want them to know that the pool they swim in during the summer is kept clean by chemical means. I want them to see that the frozen food they eat is kept fresh because of the works of chemists.
Teaching is not something you can learn. You can learn the philosophies of education. You can learn how to make a good lesson plan. You can learn what doesn’t work in education. But you cannot learn how to teach. Teaching is a gift that some people have been given and now must perfect so that others may benefit from it.
