Makayla Spaid
11/9/2020
Foundations of Education
Each teacher has their own philosophy and way of teaching and I think that's what
makes school unique and fun. I chose three philosophers whose techniques I would possibly
use when teaching. I think using ideas and techniques will help me come up with my own
philosophy.
The first philosopher that I chose is Socrates. Socrates always focused on that people
have to question and examine their own knowledge to discover the knowledge from within.
Socrates pointed out that choices people make are motivated by a desire of happiness. He
believed that the true and ultimate happiness and wisdom came from oneself. The more an
individual knows and is able to make reasonable choices will bring true happiness. I agree with
what Socrates said about you having to pull the knowledge from oneself. As a teacher you have
to try and stretch your students' knowledge to the best of their abilities. This helps the students
be successful.
The second philosopher that I chose is Maria Montessori. Maria believed that education
was child-centered. Maria believed that children learn best through play because for a young
child play was a learning experience. This gave children the chance to individually learn and use
creativity and problem solve on their own. I really like this philosophy because it teaches
children to figure out solutions to problems on their own. Also when they are playing it doesn’t
feel like learning because they get to learn while playing.
The third philosopher that I chose is Abraham Maslow. Abraham Maslow's philosophy
was a humanistic approach. He believed that humans need to meet a series of needs so the
could succeed. The indiciaul couldn’t move onto the next level of needs before the first level of
needs was met. I like this philosophy because this makes sure that each student in your
classroom will be able to learn to the best of their abilities because their needs are met so they
don’t have to focus on being hungry or tired and they can focus on school. As a teacher, you
want to help your students meet the needs they have so they can be successful.
My first teacher that I asked about their philosophy is Kate Wieczorek. She is a middle
school math teacher and she has taught for 24 years. She is more laid back but will push you to
where you are supposed to be. I think a strength she has is pushing her students to the best of
their ability. She cares for her students to do the best and also more for their mental health. Mrs.
Wieczorek became a math teacher because she wasn’t good at math and she wanted to help
her students realize that anybody can be a math person. She wanted math to be more
attainable for students. Her philosophy is if you set your mind to you can do it. You just have to
feel like working at it and do you have the right guidance to achieve your goal. She is a growth
mindset person. She feels like she is a math teacher more than just a math person.
My second teacher that I asked about their philosophy is Ryan Brown. He is a high
school chemistry teacher and has taught for 22 years. He is very energetic and connects his
learning to students and makes his content as fun as he can. But he can also focus his class
when he is needed and makes sure each student in his class understands the content. His
philosophy is that faith guides him to humanity. He teaches because he gives and contributes to
people. As a teacher, he fosters social skills, academic skills, and technical skills that will benefit
Makayla Spaid
culture, society, and science, economic, and families. These are all skills that he gives to his
students. In Mr. Brown's classroom wants to stretch his students' knowledge from where it is
and where it needs to be. He uses principles of Effective Instruction. He believes that he needs
to engage all four parts of the brain and have repetition in his class so the students get a better
understanding.
After reading all of these philosophies I came up with a philosophy of my own. I believe
that if you are wanting to help your students succeed and be the best they can you have to give
them tools to get there. You have to teach them things in ways that they understand so they can
learn best. I think that the best way for children to learn is by experience. Every Student learns
in a different way and so as a teacher you want to be able to teach students with all different
learning styles and also students who have different parts of their needs met.