My Philosophy of Education

How 'bout you ... what's your Philosophy of Education?

Finally, I’m on my last year of finishing my education degree at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Few months to go and I’ll hit the boom to go out and sail on the paradise of reality with my practicum in teaching profession. Before I pack myself conditioned on a state with teacher’s hat, I still need to confront some academic courses and requirements to finally and to officially be called as “Sir Eldrin”. My hopes are very high that by the time i am standing at the very center of every classroom, every hour i will spent on for that day on that specific group of embodied spirits, there is a clear-cut and cogent learning to gain on whether it is overt or covert.

The feeling is really rousing and exhilarating to step on the real world of classroom set- up and of course to meet the stars of every setting who are the students. Definitely, the ride I’m about to take will not only be a good shot but it must be the best shot! I must admit that the pressure right now even if its still months to go are very high. We've once talked and made some assumptions and presumptions with my block mates (as if we're from Assumption College HAHAHA) about what's going to happen when our time has unfold to be subjugated in different schools to conduct the practice teaching. Nevertheless, the ride is about to take without the privilege of choosing to flinch so just go with it, ride on it, hit the beat of teacher's cap to make the best of striking and notable impression to last.

In order to fulfill my intentions, every educator has their own idea to stand on for the very reason of existence on the setting of every classroom story. This is where we will come from. This is the foundational pillars on where we will work things out to elicit the best not for our own sake but for the greater boon of the students. This is the Philosophy of Education. Taking into consideration the philosophical perspective of an educator, we can have a good grasp of how he/she looks into the introspection of the life, the learner, and the profession.

As an education student, one of our duty to work on as early as now is to envisage our own philosophy of education. Different sources will enumerate a lot of philosophy of education in order to come up and derive on a well crafted one. But still at the end of the day, whether we belong to those crème de la crème, the philosophy we stand from should not be dormant but must be invested well. This is like one of the tweets I've read on twitter saying: LIVE BY EXAMPLE AND NOT BY QUOTATIONS.

The moment i am pounding the keyboard, i got a hard time of thinking to craft my own philosophy of education. Consequently, it took me some times before i crafted mine. This entails me a lot of backspace in the keyboard before i finally arrived with my own one. Nonetheless, the moment you have drafted your own philosophy, the feeling is humongous pride and honor to live at it and act on it. 

My dear readers, with great delight and repletion with an equally amount of modesty, i humbly share to you my philosophy of education. Enjoy!

The days may end as sun sets to the west and once again rise to the east but the power of every words and every little acts i will convey will amount into a stupendous degree of influence to the lives of every learners that will come into my life which will never end like the day but will stretch into forever. This is how powerful and extraordinary the profession i am living now compares with any other professions we have simply because we are called to it for a reason to arrived on a humongous multiplying effect to prosper the very essence of every intellectual, physical, moral and spiritual individual person for the commonwealth of humanity.

The reason for establishing this profession is for the learner or the student. Among all the professions, the world has given such vast faith and assurance to alleviate the standards of every learner by helping them. It's true when Albus Dumbledore said to Harry Potter from a movie, “Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who need it.” Certainly, we are always there for our students to help and mold them holistically as a learner. We are prime movers of this world. We are the one who needs to step forward and believe at every cost for our students.

I believe that every learner is a man or woman of their own definition to define. They are unique and is incomparable with different level of altitude and capability from one another. Some learners’ maybe extrovert to confront things and others are introvert and is yet to find their selves out of the cocoon to bloom as a splendid butterfly full of colors and grace. I believe that every learner is a fountain of knowledge. They are of equally magnitude to bring out the very best from them. I believe that every learners are born good and to do good. They are physically constructed with brain on top to think first if it will contribute to good things and to judge things whether the actions are fair or not. I believe that every learner has the heart to share. To the extent of thinking for the benefit of most not only of few without a second thought of the actions and ambiguity to the judgment because it comes within the immaculate heart. And of course i believe that learners are of high interest to learn by not just merely reading the lines but deeply going beyond the lines for deeper self-examination to practice and act to it.

Every words i utter, every actions i deed, it amounts to a tantamount perception that i will uphold it, i will live by it. With grace and modest on the side, i must only teach the truth and nothing but the truth for i must be the epitome for everything that i speak of. I will respect the diversified world of classroom so that it will be transcribed in the outside world to share them values learned at every four corners of the room. If i say: “Let's be proper from head to toe”, so be it and practice what i preach.

I believe that my role as a teacher is profuse. And the sole role i have to uphold is to developed and mold them holistically from their intellectual, physical, moral and spiritual facet. I believe that this role to facilitate learning and inculcate good values can be done by:

•     teaching them to developed self-concept stretching to self-confidence, self-respect and self-postulation;
•          inculcating moral values from the Great Books of time that has been proved to be universally and highly equitable for the great welfare of humanity;
•          providing a well accommodating and friendly classroom environment declared as a zone of peace;
•          fostering cooperative and collaborative learning among the students for an in deep appreciation of diverse learners inside the classroom;
•          exposing every learners to every subject matter as much as possible close to realism for a justified learning experience;
•          observing positive discipline rather than other ways to make them realized of their fault but at the same time feel loved to correct them for their mistake;
•          building friendly and healthy competition inside the classroom to strive hard and work to double the effort in studying;
•          creating learning activities that will holistically developed the cognitive, affective and psychomotor aspect of every learner;
•          equipping the skills of a 21st century learner through learning activities, programs, projects for the subject.

To give justice with my philosophy of education, all of this must be said and done. Nothing is more promising than witnessing what I can do for my students rather than what they can do for my own posterity. The challenge maybe demanding and arduous but it’s too late to step back so better give em’ the fight! The fight for believing what my students can do; the fight of being an impetus for the elusive change we always dream of; the fight of uplifting the academic standards for every 21^st century Filipino learners in our educational system; and the fight of living for a cause of a better humanity.

I share to you my philosophy so that together, we can build a better tomorrow for every learners. This reminds me of a very famous African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child. I cannot stand alone to go against the odds and make all my desire come true. I need every ones support; we need every ones support. And this can only happen if we first put ourselves in believing that we can make it because then we already started to give the best of the fight! 

We can make it as a Village!

(Note: Photos are from google.com)