There are many different kinds of philosophies that influence our way of teaching. There are also different branches with-in philosophy. Each has its strengths and weaknesses; each also has a certain way of thinking. I believe a combination of these philosophies is wise. For example some people believe that reality is what you perceive it to be. Others may believe that reality is a “set in stone” kind of a thing, or in other words, no matter what you think, reality is what it is. My position or perception on this subject is that reality is “set in stone” but it can change the outcome or the future of reality by perceiving it a different way. So mine is a mixture of both sides. This seemed to happen with each of the different parts of philosophy.
The reason why there are so many different branches of philosophy is to help teachers figure out what their foundation will be that they will be teaching from. This is one thing that I have decided on. Since I am LDS (Latter-day Saint) or Mormon, I believe the principles that are taught in my religion are not just guidelines or rules to live by, but they are the basic fundamentals to living the best lifestyle. Even though I will be using the foundation of my religion as the way I want to teach, I will not be teaching anything related to deities or other beliefs not related to school curriculum. What I will take from my religion is what I’ve learned of what the best way is to teach a child. I will explain my beliefs with what follows.
I believe that the best way to acquire knowledge is through observation and research on what has been observed. I’ve noticed though that this has become difficult for students now. Students have become so used to people telling them what they are supposed to be doing instead of figuring out for themselves what they can do, or what they should do. This has a lifetime of an effect on students, and people in general. We need to teach our students how to observe and become independent by learning on their own. This will help them by teaching them how to problem solve and study independently leading to the making of habits that demonstrate self-discipline and responsibility. With-out these basic skills, it is hard for students to reach their full potential let alone do the work they are expected to do in school.
Another very important thing that should be emphasized and encouraged in education is our perspective on everything, on life. If we truly believe that life is good and that anything is possible, we will show that enthusiasm in our classrooms and it will spread to the attitudes of students. They will begin to develop a positive attitude because that is the environment they are in and it is what us teachers believe; but if we hate life, and believe something goes wrong every day and believe nothing is possible, everything is a burden, then the students in our classroom will feel the same way. The huge issue about this is that this negativity will not only occur in the classroom, but it will stay with them all day, and they will see homework as a huge task, life in general will be seen as difficult. What do we want to influence our students with?
