Philosophies in Education

As with any profession there are many different basic philosophies that apply to those that work within them. Education  no different, having 4 basic philosophies that apply to teaching. The first philosphy, Idealism, believes that ideas and concepts are the most important things to know and understand above all things. Everything else is an inaccurate depiction of what is "out there". The next philosophy, realism, believes that reality, knowledge and value exist whether we know it or not. Realists oppose idealist beliefs in that they don't adhere to the point of ideas being the most important aspect of reality. The third philosophy, pragmatism, believes that evolving is better than just generally being. Pragmatists are unique because they believe that change is always occuring and that we should "become" rather than "be". The final philosophy, existentialism, argues that our reality is only existing. Nothing is inherently true, false, or in between; it just is.

I feel that as a teacher I relate most to the Idealist and Pragmatist schools of thought. I believe that we should learn the concepts that are out there in order to learn more about what is around us. Yet I also believe that in doing this, we should always be working to better not only ourselves but the wrold around us. I want my students not only to learn the ideas and concepts that they must learn in order to successfully complete high school, but to learn about that which they need to understand in order to go out into the world and make a difference. I want to be able to use a book in my classroom that teaches friendship, metaphors, and symbolism; yet I also want that piece of literature to stand as a window into the larger world in order for students to possibly see that they can go out into the world and change how things are in order to create a better experience for someone else.