Running head: Personal Teaching Philosophy

Personal Teaching Philosophy

Taylor Falkowski

Regent University
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Personal Teaching Philosophy

A farmer takes time and care to plant seeds and tend to them in order to reap the benefits

of a healthy and plentiful harvest. A teacher invests time in students so that they can learn and

grow into successful, independent adults. A teacher does not hold the hands of their students, nor

guide them throughout adolescence. Instead, a teacher is meant to inspire productive and

meaningful learning in order to equip students with the tools, skills, and knowledge they will

need to understand in order to be successful outside of the classroom walls.

Teachers have an extraordinary amount of impact on a childs life at any age. In Proverbs

22:6, the Bible calls us to train up a child in the way he should go; [so that] even when he is old

he will not depart from it (ESV). From kindergarten to 12th grade, students are placed in

classrooms in order to gain knowledge that will prepare and gear them for their adult lives. Every

child deserves the right to be educated, no matter their age, ethnicity, gender, religious

background. The purpose of education is to teach and guide children so that by the time they

reach adulthood, they have gained knowledge and skills which can help them throughout their

lives. School should be a foundation for further education, a students learning does not stop at

graduation.

Since learning implies engagement and comprehension, any student can become a

learner. They could be resilient or unappreciative or zealous and eager; any student that applies

effort to a task is becoming a learner. The desire to become a learner should be developed at an

early age in order to be better prepared as an adult. This is because when entering the workforce

learning is mandatory if one desires to maintain their job; especially if one wishes to excel in

their chosen field. In Psalm 144:12 the verse says may our sons in their youth be like plants full
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grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace. This means that

children are expected to be full of life and purpose. A person gains purpose from knowledge and

understanding, and gains life by acting according to that new or improved understanding.

Learners are the product of good teaching, because of this, teaching is an enormous

responsibility. This is something I thought I understood before taking education courses.

However, I never fully understood the enormity of the teacher's responsibility until I was

entrenched in the discipline and spending time in the field with students. It was during my

practicum and student teaching experience that I fully realized teachers should be a catalyst for

children to gain and pursue knowledge, a leader in education. Like Powell (2012) explains, a

teacher needs to be an advocate for students, someone who puts the Students needs firsts (15).

Since so much of the responsibility for learning falls on the teachers heads, they must

understand how children learn and implement that knowledge throughout the lessons. A true

teacher is one who welcomes the students into a positive environment conducive to learning.

They are able to engage the students in the material to the point where they want to become

better learners inside and outside of the classroom.

Furthermore, Teachers are to be a model of a positive and learned adult. The Bible calls

all Christians, but especially teachers to Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good

works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned,

so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us (Titus 2:7-8,

ESV). This verse applies to pastors in front of churches and teachers in front of students. The

students should view the teacher as someone they want to learn from, and as such the teacher

should do their best to maintain a level head and encouraging disposition. Teaching should not
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be a last resort Job option, but a challenge taken on by those willing to work hard and ardently

for the children.

As mentioned above, the teacher should be authoritative in their classroom. Serious,

dependable, kind and merciful. time in the classroom has proven that students respond best when

they know the teacher genuinely cares for them, and treats them with respect. A teacher can best

maintain a positive learning environment by demonstrating care, developing trust, teaching

unconditionally, and by embracing social media (Powell, 2012, pg. 152). While a teacher is not a

parent, policeman, or ultimate person of power, they wield the authority in their own classroom

and they should use that position to keep the kids learning in a way that is both enjoyable and

productive. Not every day is going to be stellar or perfect, but the teacher, by their own presence

and their classrooms arrangement, should welcome the students into the room.

Any Christian can have the opportunity to be a positive influence, both as a Christian,

and as a moral, positive, and loving person. However, High school teachers can have an

influence on over 100 students a year as well as their coworkers and the parents of their students.

In Ephesians 4:2 Christians are called to treat our fellow man with all humility and gentleness,

with patience, bearing with one another in love (ESV). Every teacher should be a role model to

the students, a positive example of adult in society. A teacher can be an introvert, a little

uncharismatic, and even awkward. However, above most anything else, a teacher needs to be an

example of positive, engaging, and respectful behavior.

In conclusion, teachers are masters of their classroom, and conduit for learning to

students. The profession is not for the weak willed or easily offended. And while the Job is a

profession, it takes time for a teacher to develop all the skills necessary to maintain a near perfect
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classroom. My goal is to be a teacher who is dedicated to the students is an essential start to

educating children. Education is crucial to the growth and development of society. Educated

students in high school become knowledgeable, confident, and successful adults. I plan to be

teacher who is a cultivator of knowledge so that student learning extends beyond the classroom

walls.
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Works Cited

Powell, S. (2012). Your Introduction to Education: Explorations in Teaching. 2nd ed. Boston:

Pearson, Print.