I believe there are a number of purposes for education. I believe one purpose of education is to be a social enterprise, which a civil society depends on for educating children to become responsible, thoughtful, and enterprising citizens. In other words, today's society holds a democratic conception in education. Therefore, the primary purpose is to help young children develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society, in an interdependent world. Another purpose of education is to foster the individual's, society's, and even humanity's future development and prosperity. Not in terms of economic success, but in terms of making this world a better place to live. Finally, one last purpose of education is to help facilitate one's individual development. Therefore, education should give each child the capacity to fulfill their own destiny. Education should attempt to give a firm foundation for the achievement of personal fulfillment.
What is the role of the student in education?
The importance of the student's role, is only one part in getting successful education. The student must put forth their best effort and take responsibility for their learning. Once a student takes responsibility for their involvement in their academics, they are one-step closer in promoting a positive learning experience. In other words, student responsibility is the key to all development and learning. Children should contribute to their own learning, and to the development of a classroom climate in which all can grow and learn.
What is the role of the teacher in education?
The second part of getting a great education is the role of the teacher. As Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote in his book Emile, "All children are perfectly designed organisms, ready to learn from their surroundings so as to grow into virtuous adults." Therefore, teachers must work to create a climate in which all students feel welcome and able to fully participate. It is equally important to nurture an ethic that demands student commitment and promotes student responsibility. This is an intricate, challenging task requiring deep understanding of ethical principles. Thus, teachers should communicate moral values through discipline and positive reinforcement.
Another role of the teacher in education is to teach children the traditional basic subjects and that these should be learned thoroughly and rigorously. This theory is called education essentialism. An essentialist program normally teaches children progressively, from less complex skills to more complex. This is only one approach to teaching I will take to help educate my students. I will combine this approach with educational progressivism. Progressivism is the belief that education must be based on the fact that humans are social animals who learn best in real-life activities with other people. Therefore, I will try to relate what my students are learning in the classroom to real life experiences. To relate things being learned in the classroom to real-world experiences, I will do my best to provide activities that center on the real lives of the students. There is empirical evidence that suggest that "learning by doing" greatly improves what children will learn. There also is evidence that movement facilitates cognition; two other great reasons why I will teach using the theory of progressivism.
One last vital role a teacher plays in education is exposing children to perennial questions and great ideas in the arts and sciences. This encourages students to re-examine the moral and material values that comprise conventional wisdom. I really believe in making my student become independent and critical thinkers by asking them to use their reasoning skills early in life. This will also greatly improve other cognitive and academic skills and greatly assists learning in general. I think this will help my students gain intellectual tools that they will need to go to college and assume the responsibilities of being a good citizen.
What is the role of the parent(s) and the community in education?
Parent involvement is the final part to education. I would love nothing more than to have parent involvement in my classroom or outside of the classroom. I want the parents to support their children's schooling by attending school functions and responding to school obligations, such as parent-teacher conferences. Most of all, I want parents involved in helping their children improve their schoolwork by providing: encouragement, arranging for appropriate study time and space, modeling desired behavior such as reading for pleasure, monitoring homework, and actively tutoring their children at home. Outside the home, I want the parents to serve as advocates for the school. I hope many parents volunteer to help out in my classroom and with school activities. I believe strongly that parents should be encouraged to participate in the education of their children.
It is important to remember as teachers, that we ensure children get a quality education. I realize the great responsibility the community puts on teachers and schools to educate their children. Therefore, I feel that the community should act as a resource in assisting teachers and the school in educating children. That is why I will make sure I get involved in the community I teach in.