Richard Anthony Torres

English 210

Dr. Peterson

Final Paper

Philosophy of Education

According to my knowledge the word "philosophy" is the study and understanding of knowledge in relevance to studying the wisdom of the universe. The word "education" is the act of developed knowledge. When put together the phrase, "philosophy of education," has extremely deep meaning within the context of knowledge. Therefore, before I can accurately state my position on the issue, I must examine my past, present and future experiences with knowledge.

My view on education and my experience with knowledge was very sheltered until I came to Ball State University. My education was developed through private schooling from kindergarten to my senior year in high school. Throughout those eighteen years I was trained for the moment I am currently situated in today, known as college. Those preparatory schools opened my eyes to not only the act of reproducing presented material, but also the process of analysis and free thought. To my surprise from the school observations I performed this year in my education courses, I found that all school systems are not the same in structure or in curriculum. There are many ways to educate, express or unveil knowledge to the student. These processes all depend on one basic thing, which is what I am going to produce today. This belief is named the "philosophy of education." The student’s education greatly depends on the school and teacher’s practiced philosophies. A philosophy appears to be the one true belief that is constant in the classroom no matter what curriculum is presented to the student. An individuals philosophy is the belief a person lives by and expresses to their peers in society through their actions and spoken or written word.

In terms of developing a philosophy for the classroom one should examine the stands they take on issues of society. My life philosophy is based upon acceptance and equality. I feel that all men and women are equal no matter what cultural background they come from or faith they entrust upon. Everyone has an opinion and contribution that should be viewed as significant. No one person is an island, meaning that we as members of society feed off of each other in our own development, especially in this modern technological world we live within. Toni Morrison summarized it best in her written work, "Black Matters", where she states her belief that the African culture and people effect the progress of literature in the White society by the fact of existing in the same society known as the American culture (Morrison 256). This idea of race relation is significant and a multicultural issue that is very much existent in the classroom today. Multiculturalism is a young, recently developed idea in the educational system and is growing just as rapidly as the multicultural American society does on a daily basis. The nation is learning to accept and is no longer suppressing its people with the notion of the melting pot or assimilation. The minority population is holding on to its ethnic roots and adding to it the diverse culture of America. Instead of losing or giving up their identity the people are keeping true to their past in their hearts while developing their mind’s as an American. The students of today and tomorrow possess these distinct and different qualities and beliefs, which educators are now realizing and learning to adapt to in the classroom. Mike Rose touched on the aspect of multiculturalism on campuses and how we as people are incorporating our cultures to become a new wave of Americans. In a description he gave of the population on campus in his book, Lives on the Boundary, we can witness how people of other ethnic cultures should not be viewed as different, but as American students. "A fellow who looks Pakistani zooms by on a skateboard. A Korean boy whose accent is still very strong introduces himself as Skip. Two Middle Eastern girls walk by in miniskirts and heels"(Rose 3). Without a sense of acceptance and understanding the idea of equality will not become a reality. Thus causing problems in the learning and educating process in the school by not offering the students a fair and equal chance to learn. If we cannot get past the boundaries of class and culture that hinder our vision we will turn our concentration too heavily upon difference and classify students as deficient or form many harsh pre-expectations toward student’s we may think are unable to be educated (Rose 205). This is not a positive step for education and is something that should be thrown out of the realm of teaching in this present world and in the future of learning. In my school environment everyone was on the same wavelength, considering it was not a public school and if you wished to leave you could since there was a substantial tuition fee every semester. The students were there for the fact of getting a proper education to prepare them for a future of higher learning and possibly beyond.

The teachers in this environment portrayed an ability that I wish to express in my own classroom in the future. This task which they accomplished was that of questioning their own perception in order to view outside of the standard lens of society to achieve equality and acceptance in their classrooms’ (Rose 205). This action helped to form a sound relationship between student and teacher through which identification of each others abilities and contributions to the education process was established along with respect for themselves and for other individuals in society (Richter 20). By eliminating these barriers of misunderstanding, the teachers could get past the fear of possibly offending the students they were educating by practicing political correctness in the classroom (Richter 22).

Following through with the idea of equal opportunity for education the teacher could then focus on individual student learning style and comprehension of the presented material. Attention could then be concentrated upon those students who had difficulty in testing or were kept from education because of previous judged potential, which we as educators have a responsibility to aid and evaluate (Rose 234). This process of helping the problem students will allow us to see more of the dilemma at hand and not the surface which we tend to rely upon for answers in tests, which teachers use to measure students and certain groups. With this identification and discovery of lost vision we can now rejoice and no longer despair over student progress (Rose 1).

Student progress and relation are important steps to climb so that new ways of teaching and creating curriculum can be accomplished. If the sense of equality is expressed in the classroom then that belief can be carried out into our society. This in turn will help our students carry with them in their life a feeling of value and a moral sense of respect towards themselves and others. Therefore the dangers and fears that are expressed in education now about the changing of curriculum because of the lack of a sense of equality in society will be an issue of the past (Richter 20).

By taking this massive leap of changing curriculum we as educators can stop relying on the traditional methods, which some feel are stable and reliable. Yet, they are not truly that way at all. Education is forever progressing and without removing the skin of the past the future branches cannot stretch out and blossom to reach new heights. As a teacher, I must be on the cutting edge of creativity. Relying upon safety nets of the traditional past cannot do this. If I depend heavily upon traditional educational methods progress will be seen as a dream never to be reached. This is not fair to the students or to society’s future.

The beliefs I have towards education are important indeed, but another issue that should be examined in relation to my present education and future development is my stance on my specialty, which is the study of English and humanities. I agree with the notion that each teacher no matter how hard they try not to, tend to incorporate their political beliefs into the classroom (Searle 86). Though sometimes, according to Menand, these political slants are paid no attention by the students (Menand 90). We must be careful how our view are presented in the classroom setting so that we do not negatively influence or cause conflict with the students. The most common stances expressed in humanities courses seem to be right and left wing ideology. I personally am a practicing moderate with multiple views along with basic acceptance of all positions and opinions, even if they are of the most gruesome nature. I feel that as an American we all have the inalienable right to believe in what we wish and defend our particular views on political issues. Therefore, in the classroom my views will be as they have been, which is that of a moderate view, allowing my students to express their political stances. This, of course, will be done with respect of every view in my classroom by stressing the idea of respect, understanding and acceptance of all views, on the level of intellect and equality. When teaching humanities sensitivity is needed in the classroom, along with a broad view of the issues of society.

In relation to teaching humanities one must identify why they are studying the subject in order to decide how they will present it to their students. According to David Richter, there are two ways to study literature. It can be studied for the essence of the art in the written work or to investigate the social problems that appear within the meaning behind the written text. (Richter 17). Yet, the question I ask is, how did the interest in literature get started in me anyway? Similar to Gerald Graff, I would honestly have to say that my love for reading was not very strong during the early stages in my life (Graff 37). Reading was difficult for me until I learned what to examine after I read a written work. Literature is there for a specific reason. It is there for us to analyze, breakdown, debate, relate to, find meaning in, investigate and also to love. I now have the utmost respect and love for literature. The written words hold the key to the heart, soul and mind of the author. It should be viewed and studied at multiple angles not just that of one. By offering many methods of understanding literature in my classroom I will hopefully offer the same opportunity that I was given to learn and love reading. Through the act of debate, discussion and analytical research I hope to influence a few minds and lead them down the path of discovery (Graff 38).

As a future teacher the learning process will never end and self-realization will continue on as my knowledge continues to grow. Thus my philosophy of education will continue to change but will consist of what I feel is the base of my beliefs, hopes and goals. My goal as a teacher is to be fair to all students that I come in contact with. Equality and giving every person that comes into my classroom an education to the best of my ability are my primary objectives as a future teacher. Through creativity, patience, multiculturalism and confidence I hope to educate similar to the way that I was taught throughout my career as a student even to this day. I was once and still am a student. The act of learning is a daily routine and I wish to aid others as they travel upon that path of knowledge. The road of humanities is my trail to give tours upon. My job is to make sure that none of my students get to far behind or too far off the path, yet allowing them to stop and experience the sights and never stop learning.

Works Cited

Graff, Gerald. "Disliking Books at an Early Age." Falling into Theory: Conflicting Views On

Reading Literature. Ed. Elizabeth M. Schaaf . Boston: Bedford Books, 1994. 36-44.

Menand, Louis. "What are Universities For?" Falling into Theory: Conflicting Views On

Reading Literature. Ed. Elizabeth M. Schaaf . Boston: Bedford Books, 1994. 88-100.

Morrison, Toni. "Black Matters" Falling into Theory: Conflicting Views On Reading Literature.

Ed. Elizabeth M. Schaaf . Boston: Bedford Books, 1994. 256-269.

Richter, David H. Falling into Theory: Conflicting Views On Reading Literature. Boston:

Bedford Books, 1994.

Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundaries. New York: Penguin Books, 1989.

Searle, John. "The Storm over the University" Falling into Theory: Conflicting Views On

Reading Literature. Ed. Elizabeth M. Schaaf . Boston: Bedford Books, 1994. 80-88.