EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF JENNIFER MCNEES

I believe that education is the single most important aspect of human life. Without education in the world there would be an ultimate stop in forward progression and regress back to a form of life unfit for man kind. As a future educator I will do all t hat is in my power to ensure that education in it s finest continues in order to benefit all.

I believe that the purpose of education is to provide a better life for the individual, family, community, country, and even the planet. In providing education, n ot only are more well rounded intelligent individuals produced who are able to make a life or themselves, but they are in return able to give back to their families and communities by providing knowledge or skills learned through education. No matter the level of education received education makes an impact, even the smallest amount can make a world of difference in a person\rquote s life.

I think that all children have the ability to learn at high levels at high speeds and it is the job of the educator to ensur e this learning. Not all students learn at the same speeds or even in the same ways. This is why it is important for the educator to be able to teach to all types of students. I think that children are able to learn best when they feel comfortable with their learning environment. I think that it is important for the student to feel that they are welcomed and encouraged to learn and most of all that they are capable of learning what ever they wish. I think that students who have a high self esteem and believe in themselves have a better chance of obtaining learning at their fullest potential.

I think that the role of the educator is an extremely important one. It is the teacher who holds the learning capability of students in their hands. Educator have to, as a figure of speech, where many different hats. In the classroom the teacher' s ultimate responsibility is their students. All decisions that are made in the classroom should be made in order to benefit the students, even if this me ans that the teacher must sacrifice. In the school the teacher must act as an active team player with the other teachers and staff of their school and community. Working effectively with others will not only benefit the school as a whole, but their stud e nts, for through sharing ideas and effective techniques teachers can keep up with changing times and provide the best for their students. Teachers also have to hold a very important image in their communities. Teachers are looked at with high accountabil ity and respect. It is important for a person as an educator to uphold these standards in their everyday lives as well as while they are in the school.

The ultimate goal for any teacher is to be effective. There are many things that contribute to being a n effective teacher. One of the major ways to be an effective teacher is to be a reflective teacher. In order to be a reflective teacher one must be actively planning what happens before the lesson, during the lesson, and after the lesson. To be effect ive the teacher must first have a solid handle on the subject that they are teaching, the best way to present it to the students, and ways to ensure that the students have learned what the teacher has set out for them to learn.

Another important concept in teaching is ethics. Ethics plays a major role in the day to day activities of a teacher. Ethics can extend all the way from using school provided materials for personal use to the appropriate interactions with students, teachers, and fellow colleagues . I feel that as an educator a person must have extremely high moral ethics. These ethics must include equal treatment of all students no matter their race, culture, gender or economic back ground. A teacher has the responsibility to teach each student in their classroom and put aside any racism or preconceived notions about any particular \ldblquote group\rdblquote of people. I believe that all students should receive the same opportunity to learn.

I believe that another important aspect to having an effective teaching experience which all that involved benefit from is that of classroom management. It is important for the teacher to have a well organized friendly learning environment which is student friendly. Another aspect in classroom management is the control tha t the teacher has over his or her classroom. The teacher must know how to effectively deal with unappropriated student behavior in order to maintain full control.

As it is easily seen teaching is not an easy job. There are many things for which an educato r must know and be able to deal with in a timely fashion. I think that teachers have one of the most important jobs in this country, for our children are our future.