Introduction
Teachers have become so much as a part of our lives that most of us think we have an idea on what teaching would be like. Though somewhat correct, our understanding of teaching seems to be from the eyes of being a student. It is said that by the time we reach our second year of teaching we would have had 2 experiences:
1. Someone will ask us what it is that we do for a living and we will respond with that we teach. Their response will be how he/she has always wanted to be a teacher and regrets choosing their current profession.
2. We will have a colleague who will confide in us how they regret becoming a teacher. Over the years the person will feel as if he/she has become trapped in this profession.
Clarifying the reasons why we wish to teach will not only make us stronger but it will also help us realize what our weaknesses are and help us better cope with the profession we have chosen. Our desire to teach comes from the love within our hearts for that particular area in which we wish to share our knowledge with but in order for us to do so we need to know which philosophy would make us a better knowledgeable teacher.
What is my philosophy of education?
The word philosophy is made up of two roots words, the first being “love (philo)” and the second is “wisdom (sophos)”. Until about 100 years or so ago most people relied on philosophy and religion for the answers to their questions. Philosophy is said to represent “a human attempt to sort out by reason the fundamental questions of existence” (Ryan & Cooper, 1995, p. 116). The decision on whether to become a teacher, plumber, secretary or whatever, almost always stems from a person’s p ...