My Teaching Philosophy

All students have the ability to learn anything. They just need to be met where they are

and not be expected to be perfect from the start. Every single day also presents its own unique

challenges for each student. They could be having a bad day, their mind could be somewhere

else, or they could be excited for something that is happening after school, all of these siphoning

their attention and focus away from their lessons and potentially from other students' attentions

as well. I plan to meet students on any given day, where they are, with what they bring to school,

and help them sort out their problems so they can survive, as surviving is the first step to

thriving. I believe that we are teaching more than just school subjects to the students, we are

teaching children how to be productive and functional members of society.

Education is one of the key components to having a functioning society. Without it, most

cultures and societies would not be able to sustain themselves. Educated members of a society

help further the advancement of the group by finding new ways to do things and keep up past

traditions for future generations 1. I believe that education does not end at graduation. As humans,

we are always striving for knowledge. I see myself as constantly looking for new outlets and new

opportunities to learn something, anything, about a topic I know little, or even a lot, about. I

would like this to be absorbed by my students as well, whether it is reviewing something they

already know from a different perspective, or hitting the “random page” button on Wikipedia a

few times and then following that rabbit hole wherever it goes.

1Harald,“How Can Education Contribute to the Betterment of Society?,” Teaching Jobs - Education Help for both
Teachers and Students, November 22, 2018, http://www.teaching-jobs.org/education-benefits-society-important-
educate-people/.
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Students should also be able to learn from themselves. The better they know their own

strengths and weaknesses, the better they will be able to absorb new material if it is presented in

a way that is foreign to them. The World Health Organization also recognizes self-awareness as

one of the areas of life skills that are crucial to social development in all cultures2. Students with

a higher level of self-awareness also tend to have a higher level of self-esteem, better learn about

what they are thinking, why they are thinking it, how others may or may not also be thinking it,

and what to do with the information that they are thinking about. This knowledge will help them

achieve whatever goal they want because it helps them find the right path to get started 3.

Students need to be set up for success before they even know they are beginning. Occasional

self-assessment would be a great way for students to know what they know and what they do not

know, and help the student drive themself onto the correct path. Self-awareness is best utilized

by asking a student questions about the content that they have already demonstrated that they

understand to both give them a sense of accomplishment and to reinforce in them that they do or

do not know something.

I do not believe that any kid is a “bad kid” or that any student is “incapable,” most of the

time, these children have just been failed by other adults that they have interacted with. A lot of

these would technically then need remedial teaching, whether that be related to a subject matter

or behaviorally, but as long as they feel like they have adults that they can look up to and that

believe in them, they should have the drive to want to succeed. An article by Edutopia states:

Nearly all educators are familiar with Edmonds's battle cry, "All children can learn." We
also know that certain things must be in place for this to happen, including, but not

2 United Nations, “Partners in Life Skills Education: Conclusions from a United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting,”
WHO | Mental Health Promotion (World Health Organization, April 6, 1998),
https://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/30.pdf.
3 Staff, “Teaching Self-Awareness to Students: 5 Effective Activities,” Teaching self-awareness to students: 5

effective activities, August 7, 2020, https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/teaching-self-awareness-to-students.

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Stefánik 2

limited to, varying instructional approaches to match the learning styles of students,
differentiating instruction, providing access to high-quality preschool programs,
consistently exposing students to high-quality instruction, generating support from
families and communities, and consistently scaling up implementation of best-practice
instructional strategies and approaches in all classrooms and in all content areas.
Schools and school districts that effectively implement these and other high-leverage
strategies with fidelity are getting results. The challenge of closing the achievement gap
in America has less to do with a knowledge gap and is more connected to a will gap
evident across all sectors of American society. It seems that our historical failure to
educate generations of children continues to be an acceptable outcome 4[...]
Things like differentiated instruction can be difficult because one would need to also keep the

students that understand the content engaged, but varying the instructional approach and meeting

the students where they are from the beginning will occasionally negate the need for

differentiated instruction. Except for in the case of students with physical or mental disabilities

that could hinder their progress in the lesson. In situations such as this, I would like to spend

more time with dis- and differently-abled students (whenever possible), but in a way where the

rest of the class can participate, so that these students can participate in and with the rest of the

class.

It is possible to close the achievement gap without harming the educational development

of students on both ends of the spectrum. Students need teachers to meet them where they are on

any given day, ready to teach them to overcome the hurdles of their personal lives so that they

can thrive as a functioning member of society. School already gives them good practice with

this, where they need to focus on the subject matter, but it does not directly give them resources

as to how to overcome this. It usually just tells them to focus and leaves it at that. Students need

more than just reminders, they need help. As educators, we have a duty to help set them up for

success from day one. This may require doing research about the individual student upon

4Larry Leverett, “Closing the Achievement Gap: ‘All Children Can Learn,’” Edutopia (George Lucas Educational
Foundation, September 5, 2006), https://www.edutopia.org/closing-achievement-gap.
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Stefánik 3

meeting them, learning from their past educators on how this individual acts and interacts in the

classroom, or it may also involve some sort of trial-and-error to find the best methods for

students to succeed. I believe all students are capable, they just need someone to set them up to

succeed.
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION Stefánik 4

Bibliography

Harald. “How Can Education Contribute to the Betterment of Society?” Teaching Jobs -
Education Help for both Teachers and Students, November 22, 2018. http://www.teaching-
jobs.org/education-benefits-society-important-educate-people/.

Leverett, Larry. “Closing the Achievement Gap: ‘All Children Can Learn.’” Edutopia. George
Lucas Educational Foundation, September 5, 2006. https://www.edutopia.org/closing-
achievement-gap.

Staff. “Teaching Self-Awareness to Students: 5 Effective Activities.” Teaching self-awareness to

students: 5 effective activities, August 7, 2020.
https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/teaching-self-awareness-to-students.

United Nations. “Partners in Life Skills Education: Conclusions from a United Nations Inter-
Agency Meeting.” WHO | Mental Health Promotion. World Health Organization, April 6,
1998. https://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/30.pdf.