PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
What is the Teacher?
What is the Teacher?
A guide, not a guard.
What is learning?
A journey, not a destination.
What is discovery?
Questioning the answers, not answering the questions.
What is the process?
Discovering ideas, not covering content.
What is the goal?
Open minds, not closed issues.
What is the test?
Being and becoming, not remembering and reviewing.
What is school?
Whatever we choose to make it.
Alan A. Glatthorn
I feel that the best way to learn is through experience. In addition to providing for the learning styles of auditory, and visual learners, I want to provide a kinesthetic learning experience. Think about how you learn, what you remember, and see if you agree with the following.
I have been told that people remember;
10% of what they read
20% of what they hear
30% of what they see
50% of what they hear & see
70% of what they say & write
90% of what they do.
A Chinese proverb says;
I hear, and I forget
I see, and I remember
I do, and I understand.
If you are like me, you probably learn best, and remember the most from things that you have actually done rather than things you have only read or heard about. Therefore, I want to allow my students many opportunities to try things on their own and learn from their experience. This does not mean that students in my class may do anything they wish. Of course, there will be rules, which will be strictly enforced, but at the same time, I do provide students the opportunities to grow and learn through trial and error.
These poems accurately reflect my philosophy of education.
Children Learn What They Live
If a child lives with criticism
He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility
He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule
He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame
He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance
He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement
He learns to be confident.
If a child lives with praise
He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness
He learns justice.
If a child lives with security
He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval
He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance
and friendship,
He learns to find love
in the world.
Dorothy Law Nolte
The Little Boy
Once a little boy went to school
He was quite a little boy
And it was quite a big school
But when the little boy
Found that he could go in his room
By walking right in from the door outside,
He was quite happy
And the school did not seem
Quite so big any more.
One morning
When the little boy had been in school awhile,
The teacher said,
“Today we are going to make a picture.”
“Good” thought the little boy.
He liked to make all kinds.
Lions and tigers,
Chickens and cows,
Trains and boats,
And he took out his box of crayons
And began to draw.
But the teacher said,
“Wait, it is not time to begin!”
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
“Now,” said the teacher,
“We are going to make flowers.”
“Good” thought the little boy.
He liked to make flowers.
And he began to make beautiful ones.
With pink and orange and blue crayons.
But the teacher said,
“Wait and I will show you how.”
And it was red with a green stem.
“There,” said the teacher,
“Now you may begin.”
The little boy looked at the teacher’s flower,
He looked at his own flower
He liked his flower better than his teacher’s
But he did not say this
He just turned his paper over
And made a flower like the teacher’s.
It was red, red with a green stem.
On another day,
When the little boy had opened
The door from the outside all by himself,
The teacher said,
“Today we are going to make something with clay.”
“Good” thought the little boy
He liked clay.
He could make all kinds of things with clay,
Snakes and snowmen,
Elephants and mice,
Cars and trucks-
And he began to pull and pinch
His ball of clay
But the teacher said,
“Wait! It is not time to begin.”
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
“Now,” said the teacher
“We are going to make a dish.”
“Good” thought the little boy.
He liked to make dishes.
And he began to make some
That were all shapes and sizes.
But the teacher said,
“Wait, and I will show you how.”
And she showed everyone how to make
One deep dish.
“There,” said the teacher,
“Now you may begin.”
The little boy looked at the teacher’s dish
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his dishes better than the teacher’s
But he did not say this
He just rolled his clay into a big ball
And made a dish like the teacher’s.
It was a deep dish.
And pretty soon
The little boy learned to wait
And to watch
And to make things like a teacher
And pretty soon
He didn’t make things of his own anymore.
Then it happened
The little boy and his family
Moved to another house.
In another city
And the little boy
Had to go to another school.
This school was even bigger
Than the other one.
And there was no door from the
Outside into the room.
He had to go up some big steps
And walk down a long hall
To get to his room.
And the very first day
He was there
The teacher said,
“Today we are going to make a picture.”
“Good” thought the little boy
And he waited for the teacher
To tell him what to do
But the teacher didn’t say anything
She just walked around the room.
When she came to the little boy
She said, “Don’t you want to make a picture?”
“Yes.” Said the little boy. “What are we going to make?”
“I don’t know until you make it.” Said the teacher.
“How shall I make it?” Asked the little boy.
“Why, anyway you like.” Said the teacher.
“If everyone made the same picture And used the same color,
How would I know who made what,
And which is which?”
“I don’t know.” Said the little boy
And he began to make a red flower
With a green stem.
by Helen B. Buckley
What is the Teacher?
What is the Teacher?
A guide, not a guard.
What is learning?
A journey, not a destination.
What is discovery?
Questioning the answers, not answering the questions.
What is the process?
Discovering ideas, not covering content.
What is the goal?
Open minds, not closed issues.
What is the test?
Being and becoming, not remembering and reviewing.
What is school?
Whatever we choose to make it.
Alan A. Glatthorn
I feel that the best way to learn is through experience. In addition to providing for the learning styles of auditory, and visual learners, I want to provide a kinesthetic learning experience. Think about how you learn, what you remember, and see if you agree with the following.
I have been told that people remember;
10% of what they read
20% of what they hear
30% of what they see
50% of what they hear & see
70% of what they say & write
90% of what they do.
A Chinese proverb says;
I hear, and I forget
I see, and I remember
I do, and I understand.
If you are like me, you probably learn best, and remember the most from things that you have actually done rather than things you have only read or heard about. Therefore, I want to allow my students many opportunities to try things on their own and learn from their experience. This does not mean that students in my class may do anything they wish. Of course, there will be rules, which will be strictly enforced, but at the same time, I do provide students the opportunities to grow and learn through trial and error.
These poems accurately reflect my philosophy of education.
Children Learn What They Live
If a child lives with criticism
He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility
He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule
He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame
He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance
He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement
He learns to be confident.
If a child lives with praise
He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness
He learns justice.
If a child lives with security
He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval
He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance
and friendship,
He learns to find love
in the world.
Dorothy Law Nolte
The Little Boy
Once a little boy went to school
He was quite a little boy
And it was quite a big school
But when the little boy
Found that he could go in his room
By walking right in from the door outside,
He was quite happy
And the school did not seem
Quite so big any more.
One morning
When the little boy had been in school awhile,
The teacher said,
“Today we are going to make a picture.”
“Good” thought the little boy.
He liked to make all kinds.
Lions and tigers,
Chickens and cows,
Trains and boats,
And he took out his box of crayons
And began to draw.
But the teacher said,
“Wait, it is not time to begin!”
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
“Now,” said the teacher,
“We are going to make flowers.”
“Good” thought the little boy.
He liked to make flowers.
And he began to make beautiful ones.
With pink and orange and blue crayons.
But the teacher said,
“Wait and I will show you how.”
And it was red with a green stem.
“There,” said the teacher,
“Now you may begin.”
The little boy looked at the teacher’s flower,
He looked at his own flower
He liked his flower better than his teacher’s
But he did not say this
He just turned his paper over
And made a flower like the teacher’s.
It was red, red with a green stem.
On another day,
When the little boy had opened
The door from the outside all by himself,
The teacher said,
“Today we are going to make something with clay.”
“Good” thought the little boy
He liked clay.
He could make all kinds of things with clay,
Snakes and snowmen,
Elephants and mice,
Cars and trucks-
And he began to pull and pinch
His ball of clay
But the teacher said,
“Wait! It is not time to begin.”
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
“Now,” said the teacher
“We are going to make a dish.”
“Good” thought the little boy.
He liked to make dishes.
And he began to make some
That were all shapes and sizes.
But the teacher said,
“Wait, and I will show you how.”
And she showed everyone how to make
One deep dish.
“There,” said the teacher,
“Now you may begin.”
The little boy looked at the teacher’s dish
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his dishes better than the teacher’s
But he did not say this
He just rolled his clay into a big ball
And made a dish like the teacher’s.
It was a deep dish.
And pretty soon
The little boy learned to wait
And to watch
And to make things like a teacher
And pretty soon
He didn’t make things of his own anymore.
Then it happened
The little boy and his family
Moved to another house.
In another city
And the little boy
Had to go to another school.
This school was even bigger
Than the other one.
And there was no door from the
Outside into the room.
He had to go up some big steps
And walk down a long hall
To get to his room.
And the very first day
He was there
The teacher said,
“Today we are going to make a picture.”
“Good” thought the little boy
And he waited for the teacher
To tell him what to do
But the teacher didn’t say anything
She just walked around the room.
When she came to the little boy
She said, “Don’t you want to make a picture?”
“Yes.” Said the little boy. “What are we going to make?”
“I don’t know until you make it.” Said the teacher.
“How shall I make it?” Asked the little boy.
“Why, anyway you like.” Said the teacher.
“If everyone made the same picture And used the same color,
How would I know who made what,
And which is which?”
“I don’t know.” Said the little boy
And he began to make a red flower
With a green stem.
by Helen B. Buckley