Kirsten Ott's Teaching Philosophy

Philosophy of Education

Children are like tiny flowers; they are varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers. ~Frobel

As a daughter of a high school biology teacher and a teacher’s aide, I have seen all aspects of the education system throughout my entire life. At a young age I knew that I wanted to become a teacher and began forming my own philosophy of education. Over the years, many teachers, philosophers, classmates, and students have influenced my eclectic philosophy of education.

I have always been in strong agreement with Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel because he stressed that students should have fun as they learn. I believe it is important that students enjoy what they learn as well as the learning experience itself. If a child is not enjoying learning, there is no drive behind them to try to succeed. All too often, children become bored with school and even hate attending school everyday. School should be a place where the children feel comfortable and enjoy spending time in. In fact, students should be excited to go to school in order to learn new concepts.

From my experiences, I understand that for some students, going to school is in fact the highlight of their day because the situations that they go home to every night are very poor. Sometimes the only meals they eat are the free breakfasts and lunches offered at school. Therefore, every employee in the school district should make an honest effort to provide the best learning environment for the children. This environment should be one that is safe and that encourages respect, responsibility, self confidence, a willingness to succeed, and positive attitudes.

In order for all students to enjoy learning, the teacher must make sure to base instruction on the students’ needs and interests. Asking about students’ interests and using them when creating lessons and activities shows the students that the teacher cares about them as a person. This interaction builds a relationship that fosters trust and a willingness to work diligently. When teachers focus on the students’ wants and needs, the students are more apt to pay attention to the material being taught and strive for success. The most important aspect of this teaching strategy is that it focuses on the needs of each individual student. Every child is different; each comes from a different background, culture, belief system, and has different attitudes, abilities and learning styles. Despite these differences, every child can learn. The major factors in their successes are teachers who believe that all children can learn and environments that encourage diversity, acceptance, and individual growth.

Therefore, teachers must also vary the teaching methods of the classroom curriculum. Some children learn best by seeing text on a page. Others learn best when they are able to manipulate materials. While yet other students are more successful if they can hear the information being taught. There are many ways that children can retain information, so a teacher must be aware of the students’ strengths and weaknesses of each learning method as well as with the ways to enhance students’ strengths and improve upon their weaknesses. Hence, teachers should have high, yet different expectations for each student depending upon his/her learning styles and needs.

Overall, I strongly believe that teachers can truly influence children’s lives. The most important aspect of a teacher’s career is the ability to provide meaningful learning experiences that will help every student become a productive member of society in one way or another. With a good, continuous education, every person has the ability to succeed in life. Therefore, I, too will use my current knowledge and future experiences to continue to learn and shape my ever-changing philosophy of education as I develop professionally into the best teacher that I can become.

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