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Educational Philosophy
What is it?
You will be required to submit an up-to-date philosophy in your CDN Portfolio. Your educational philosophy is a statement of PERSONAL beliefs and how these will be put into action in your classroom - the philosophy is not a theoretical essay on education but an action plan for you. Educational Philosophy is often used by administrators to judge whether the teacher applicant is the "kind of person that I would want in my school or teaching my children. It is an important part of Portfolio reflecting your own approach to education. Note that your philosophy will change as you mature in the college and gain additional experiences. CDN Portfolio will help you to see the copies of your earlier philosophies and compare them to your current philosophy to more clearly understand how your approach to education changes.
- What is it? It is a written document explaining your personal educational beliefs and values and how you would effect ideal student learning.
- Why do I need one? In order to be an effective teacher or educational administrator, you should know what you value in education. Your personal philosophy can help shape your professional growth, your career path, and direct you to appropriate schools. Schools use the statement to determine your fit with their mission and philosophy.
- When should I write it? Ideally, before you pursue employment at any school, you should already have written your statement of educational philosophy. If you've prepared the statement beforehand, it's more likely that you have taken your time to craft a well-written, articulate document. A common qualification for school administrator positions is the ability to communicate well. A last minute, incomprehensible statement speaks poorly of an otherwise qualified candidate.
- How can it help me? You can use your statement to test how well the school's mission and philosophy match your beliefs and educational standards.
- What should it include? Don't restate your résumé or curriculum vitae. Focus on your main goals for shaping an educational institution. This can include comments on the roles of teachers, students, curriculum, learning styles, classroom organization, etc. Present a clear idea of your beliefs and the actions needed to support them.
- Should I have more than one, depending on the school? Have one statement of educational philosophy. You may change and shape it over time, but don't adjust your statement to fit individual schools.
- First of all, you may have difficulty keeping track of which statement you sent where. That could prove embarrassing during an interview when you speak about the wrong philosophy.
- Second, if you change your philosophy to fit a specific school, then you will be trying to speak and write about ideas that are not your "own." Thus, your writing will be weaker, you will have a hard time going into depth about your beliefs, and, if by chance you get the position, you may find that you do not fit the school's mission after all.
- Most school Heads and Boards know that they won't find a candidate whose ideas exactly fit the school's stated philosophy. Work on showing them in your interview how your beliefs parallel and can enhance the school's mission.
- Should I write a broad statement instead? Don't try to write a "global" statement that will encompass every school's mission – that is an impossible task. Instead of a quality argument for your educational vision, you will end up with a page of vague generalities that give no insight into your personal values.
- How long should it be? You cannot write an educational philosophy in one paragraph! Keep your statement to as close to one page in length as possible. Schools receive many applications for each position and do not want to read a ten-page essay from each candidate. Also, limiting the length forces you to be clear and concise. Keep to the main points of your philosophy; save the details for the interview.
- Anything else? Have someone you trust proofread your statement. That person may also be able to point out areas that need further clarification or spots where you go into too much detail. Also, before an interview, reread your personal statement and think of ways you can expand upon the ideas in it. Have some examples, research, or supporting theories ready for when someone asks you to explain or defend your philosophy.
Samples
[Sample] [by Melissa Brown]
[Sample] [by Elizabeth Ellinger]
[Sample] [by Kara Harmon]
[Sample] [by Melody Jones]
[Sample] [by Cassandra Julien]
[Sample] [by Allyson Kalicharan]
[Sample] [by Courtney McElveen ]
[Sample] [by Carissa Moran]
[Sample] [by Jessica Wagner]
[Sample] [by Amanda Wilkerson]
* Samples are made available upon written permission from each teacher candidate. (listed alphebatically.)
Quick Tips
Appropriate grammar is mandatory; among other things, be careful with the followings:
- Be sure to write using COMPLETE sentences.
- Use only one idea for each paragraph and be sure to provide a transition between paragraphs.
- Use topic sentences.
- Be aware of you change voice in the paper, i.e., "As teachers, we should treat the parents with respect; they need to understand that parents must be part of the solution." or "It is important for everyone to ... thus you should not be critical of ..."
- Alternate the use of "she" and "he" to avoid the clumsy phrasing or "she or he".
- The following are some of the things that you can address in your philosophy use of cooperative learning classroom management techniques parent involvement technology diversity
- You cannot write an educational philosophy in one paragraph! Your educational philosophy should have an introduction and a conclusion; your conclusion should provide a "logical" ending to your philosophy.
- Avoid using the same phrase over and over in your philosophy. For example, avoid using the word "teacher" several times in the same paragraph or near each other - check your thesaurus for alternative choices of words.
- Your philosophy should be positive. While there may well be problems with our educational system, a prospective employer does not really want to hear how bad things are - s/he is interested in what you are going to do to make the classroom experience a better one of the students. You are writing a personal philosophy, not a critique of the educational system.
- Avoid the use of jargon. If you do use "educational jargon", explain how you are going to impact the student. For example, rather than writing "I strongly belief in inclusion." write "I believe that inclusion is a key ingredient in the makeup of the classroom and I will support inclusion through practices such as using alternative assessments and preparing lessons which appeal to different learning styles."
- Avoid overly complex sentences, vague or which offer sweeping generalizations.
- Have someone review your philosophy for accuracy and eye catching appearance.
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