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Sam Fernandes
LS 2001/3001
3/14/16

Educational Philosophy

The first time I ever worked in a classroom, the teacher had one piece of advice for me.
She told me that before I begin teaching, I can have this brilliant philosophy as to who I will be
as a teacher. I can imagine all of the great minds and theories within the field of education and
believe that they will shape my style of teaching. However, as she said, I wont truly know who I
am as an educator until I stand in front of my students for the first time and actually begin to
teach. When she said this to me, I was slightly defeated. Those theories and beliefs that I
thought to shape me are ones that I held dear. I found comfort in seeing this image of myself
that I aspired to be. So even if she is right, and even if the teacher I think I will become is not the
teacher that I actually end up being, I will continue to have my philosophies and ideas as to
what it means to me to be a teacher. When I look to my philosophies, there are three individuals
whom I am influenced by the most: Maria Montessori, John Dewey, and Howard Gardner. Each
of these individuals gave a unique and incredibly influential movement to the field of education
that I hold close to my heart.
Maria Montessori is the first mind that I look to when I imagine myself as a teacher. As a
woman, I look to Maria Montessori for her strength and her accomplishments in a patriarchal
world. As an educator, I admire her for those same reasons, but I also look to her philosophies
and movements within the field of education. After discussing Maria Montessori with my peers, I
found that many others also look to this woman as a source of inspiration for their philosophies
as educators. And, that is comforting to me. To know that so many of my fellow classmates, so
many future teachers, look to Maria Montessori as a role model within the field of education

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excites me. Maria Montessori believed in a prepared environment, which is designed to optimize
independent learning. The calm layout of the classroom allows children to move about freely
and engage in the activities that, at the moment, they may find interesting. While some children
may be doing math, others may be reading or working independently. By creating an
environment that allows the children to be in charge of their movements and learning, the
students are allowed to experience self-discipline and freedom in a way that allows them to
understand and engage with their own needs. This process of children becoming at peace and
disciplined with themselves is what Montessori called normalization. She did not use this term
as a way to describe conformity within her students, but to describe the multitude of normal
traits that arise in a child that experiences their environment in a way that Montessori schools
allow- self-discipline, love of work, self-mastery, power to act from choice, independence, and
initiative, just to name a few. These traits, while called normal are considered to be normal
occurrences in childhood for all children. Montessori schools, therefore, are designed to fully
engage all of these parts of the students. This sense of independence and self-discipline are the
most influential aspects of Maria Montessoris work in my eyes. As a teacher, I long not to treat
my classroom as if it is a hierarchy of power. I want to provide my students with the opportunity
to learn in a way that accommodates their own individual needs, and to give them plenty of
opportunities to be in charge of their own education.
Another philosopher whom my peers and I have both found a common inspiration in is
John Dewey. John Dewey, much like Maria Montessori, believed in a democratic and active
involvement of students and their education. John Dewey believed in learning by doing, and
was firm in his stance that for children to truly experience their education, they must experience
it in a way that stretches beyond a teacher simply standing in front of them and providing the
material. He believed that in order for learning to truly take place, there must be a clear
relevance for students to relate to their own lives and the material must be presented in a way
that allows for the students to truly experience the subject. This belief that learning can only truly

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be done by doing was coined pragmatism, and it is a theory that John Dewey developed that
truly shifted the way that education and teaching was looked upon. As a future teacher, I hold
John Dewey and his ideals dear. The idea of allowing my students to experience the material
that I present them in a way that allows them to experience it in a hands on manner is
exhilarating to me. Like mentioned before, I do not believe in a structure of education that
leaves me as the teacher being the end all source of knowledge. I want my students to actively
participate in their education, and to do that, they must find relevance, importance, and
experience a hands on connection of the material that I present to them in a way that excites
them and leaves them longing for more.
The last philosopher in education whom I look to for inspiration is Howard Gardner. This
man developed the idea of multiple intelligences. This idea states that all children experience
education in an independent way, and all children have certain aspects of themselves that are
more easily stimulated than others. For example, some children gravitate more towards the arts,
while others are more excited by math. Through this belief, Gardner argues that no one
intelligence of children is more important than another. Each childs interests and passions is
just as important as the next, and it is the job of the teacher to provide an outlet for all students,
regardless of intelligence, to succeed and be engaged. I wholeheartedly believe that as a
teacher, it is my duty to allow all of my students to be fully engaged in the classroom. I long to
provide equal opportunities for art, science, math, history, etc., so as to give each and every
student the ability to experience my teaching and their own education in a format that provides
equal opportunity for all students to succeed.
When I look at myself and who I wish to be as a teacher, I will always look to Maria
Montessori, John Dewey, and Howard Gardner. Each of these people provided a theory within
the field of education that shaped the way teaching and learning was perceived. The ideas of
independence and engagement within the classroom, and a hands on style of learning are the
beliefs that I hold dear to my heart. I do not long to structure my classroom in a way that

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demonstrates a hierarchy of power. Rather, I want each member of the classroom, myself
included, to hold an equal importance within the curriculum and material. And, to do this, I
believe that these three philosophers mentioned are the role-models in which I should look to.