Philosophy of Education

An education is something that people should have with them all of their lives.  Adults who have gone through high school can always look back to their teenage days and reminisce on the events that took place.  Going to class, ballgames, dances, and class activities are memories that most people can look back on and smile.  Those activities were fun, and are held dear to the hearts of those who possess them.  However, a sad fact is that many people forgot the information taught in class to them after they recieved their diplomas. In many cases, that information was forgotten after it was tested. When this happens, students do not receive an education, but rather a temporary fix that will get them closer to graduation.  One reason for this is that teachers refuse to structure their lessons to leave a lasting impression on the students.  They do not look at their curriculum in terms of application to the real world, but rather as chores they must complete to fulfill state requirements.  In doing so, teachers often teach the subjects in the easiest ways possible using the easiest grading procedures.  They try to make things easier on themselves rather than be concerned with the education of the students.  Yes, I am implying that one reason for a failed education is the failure of educators who do not do their job properly or to the best of their ability.  Just as it is the responsibility of students to do their best to learn, it is the responsibility of teachers to do their best to ensure that all students are provided with the education due them, presented in the best way possible.

          English teachers are responsible for the areas of literature and writing.  Both areas are usually met with resistance because they have traditionally been taught with poor methods.  For instance, literature is taught as if it is nothing more than the writings of a bunch of dead men. No information is given about why they wrote, but rather when they were born, where they lived, what else they wrote, and where they died.  No higher level of thought is ever encouraged, and students recognize works only by what they are about rather than what they could mean.  Literature is much more than the babblings of dead white men who lived hundreds of years ago.  It is the voice of times past.  It is the only way in which we understand how people truly felt and thought before our time.  Teachers should tap into this.  They should discuss nature with the students, inquiring how they feel about it.  Then, they should discuss the Romantic and Transcendentalist views of nature, and compare those ideas with those of the students.  Also, teachers can discuss the ways in which television and movies play a role in the literary world.  For instance, they can ask how Hollywood’s version of Romeo and Juliet compares with Shakespeare’s script. Students should then be asked to find the similarities and differences between the two, as well as determine what decisions the director made to apply the play to today’s times.  Whatever is done, it should be more than reading, reciting, and regurgitating.  It should be used to fuel students’ thoughts and creativity.

          Writing is much the same as literature.  Too often, grammar is treated as a separate entity in itself, and is applied through ditto sheets and quizzes.  In this fashion, writing is accomplished through journals and research papers, with little attention given to the grammatical aspects of them.  The two go hand in hand, and must be taught in conjunction with each other.  With this purpose in mind, teachers should format their smaller writing assignments (journals or others) to go along with a particular grammar lesson.  For example, after a lesson on idioms, students might be expected to write a small journal including a given number of idioms.  Perhaps, after a lesson on participial phrases, students would write a journal including a certain number of participial phrases.  The next day, students would write a journal with both idioms and participial phrases.  After several grammar lessons have been accomplished, teachers will then require a longer paper in which they would expect students to correctly use the things that they have learned from their journal writing. Doing this actually allows the students to practice the work, rather than underlining the correct form used in the sentence on a photocopy.

          Of course, these are not the only methods that could be used to teach the subjects required in an English class.  They are only samples of the ways in which teachers can present academic material to the students in a way more likely to receive a positive response.  Teachers should strive to find their own ways of doing things that will encourage student growth in academics.  However, academics are not the only responsibility of a good teacher.  It is also the job of teachers to present themselves as role models for their students.  This does not mean that they have to be perfect all of the time, because no one can be perfect.  It does, however, mean that they should do their best to promote themselves as being people worthy to look up to.  Good teachers should be fair, kind, and considerate.  Students should not feel uneasy about speaking with them about any problem they may have in the class.  Good teachers should be loose enough to provide a relaxed atmosphere in which the students are comfortable to learn, but firm enough to maintain control and discipline.  Good teachers should also encourage students by illuminating the positive things they do, and work with them to improve on the areas in which they need improvement.  Finally, and maybe the most important, teachers should have a good attitude about being in class, as well as about the material being presented.  Enthusiasm can be contagious if the enthusiastic person is willing to share that enthusiasm.