Statement of Philosophy & Beliefs

As I enter the teaching profession, I believe it is vital to assess my beliefs and ideology involving all issues associated with education. This involves how the prospective educator will balance equity with equality, along with deciding what teaching styles to adopt. In addition, the educator must also develop a philosophy on diversity and understand how the school interacts with society as a whole. A culmination of all these things will comprise the educator's ideology and give him, or her, the foundation to address the questions they will encounter in the classroom.

It is good for a teacher to strive to help the class make as much progress as possible and utilize the students time efficiently, but it is also important that the teacher considers the different needs of his or her many students in order to make things equitable in the classroom. For instance, there might be a small group of students that excel at the work presented and move at a quick pace. Meanwhile, there would be a large group of students with average comprehension and a small group of students that had difficulty understanding the content and moved at a slower pace. The dilemma that arises is that if the educator fostered only the above-average group's pace and learning potential then the group that had difficulty comprehending the material would be completely lost and would not garner much intellectual development because the class would be moving too fast for them to keep up. Therefore, a teacher must individualize instruction, so the students who excel will be reasonably challenged, but the students who have difficulty will not be alienated and will be able to keep up with the pace of the class.

I believe that incorporating as much student-centered learning as possible is the best policy. In the The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing, G.M. Jones, B.D. Jones, and Tracy Hargrove (2003) state that a student-centered approach is the best way students learn. This would include group work and class discussions. When the students are directly involved with the information, form their own ideas and opinions, and take an active role in their learning then they are likely to learn more and find it more enjoyable. Unfortunately, it is difficult to have the students engage in this type of learning due to the demands of standardized testing under the No Child Left Behind policy. A teacher-centered approach to educating the students can be effective, but they aren't as interested in this type of learning and don't enjoy it as much as a student-centered approach. Lecture and drilling tend to be the norms in a teacher-centered approach. Although this is a good way to prepare students for exams, it is less engaging intellectually and the students will probably not retain the information presented. Hence, I feel a student-centered approach is best.

I firmly believe that all schools should understand and accommodate the differences of all their students to create a multicultural environment for learning. African Americans in many cases do not succeed due to insensitivity about their cultural differences and no effort to understand them. According to an article written by Catherine Gewertz (2007), only 46.2% of black male students graduate from High School in four years with a standard diploma. It is vital for teachers to understand the complexities African Americans face in regards to the interplay between society as a whole and school. In many instances, African American students will have a lack of motivation and be indifferent to education due to negative stereotypes that have been attributed to them. It is the responsibility of educators to help their students see through these stereotypes and to foster their intellectual development. In addition, it is very important that educators make their lessons accessible for students with physical and mental handicaps. In many instances this means amending pre-existing lessons, but the extra effort might be needed to enhance the learning of all students. In summation, I believe that all students should be afforded the same opportunities and that those struggling need to be helped and understood by their educator.

Upon review, I believe that a student-centered approach is better than a teacher-centered approach, but sometimesateacher-centered approach to education is necessary. In addition, there needs to be a middle ground found between equity and equality, so that all students’ needs are met. Student diversity is something that should be welcomed and embraced. It is important that all students' cultural differences are considered when teaching.

Works Cited

Gewertz, Catherine (2007). Black Boy’s Educational Plight Spurs Single-Gender Schools. Education Week 26 (42). Retrieved April 17, 2008, from EBSCOHost.

Jones, G.M., Jones, B.D., & Hargrove, Tracy. (2003). The Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Testing. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers