philosophy

 The first major philosophical school of thought is Idealism.  The basic concept of idealism is that the only true knowledge is spiritual and emotional, rather than what we experience through our senses.  On the other end of the spectrum, Realism is the belief that what we take in through our senses is the dominant truth in the world.  Pragmatism is the idea that change is always occurring.  Existentialism is the belief that there is nothing beyond what we experience in our daily lives.






As far as my philosophical side is concern, I would say that I take a little bit from a few different schools of thought.  My dominant philosophy is definitely Pragmatism, since I firmly believe in the way that the world is constantly evolving.  I can easily relate this to my teaching style because I will be shaping young minds into the thinkers of tomorrow.  I also like the use of reasoning within the pragmatist beliefs.  I want my students to be able to grasp key concepts and understand them, rather than simply memorizing facts.

                I also would add a couple ideas from Idealism and Existentialism into my teaching philosophy.  I connect back to Idealism because of Plato’s idea that it is our goal to acquire knowledge.  This idea is one of the reasons why I wanted to become a teacher.  I am also with the existentialists in the fact that I think some schools don’t place enough emphasis on each student as an individual. 

                I don’t really feel any connection toward Realism because their concepts tend to be in opposition of my beliefs.  After reading various philosophers’ works throughout the past few years, I can honestly say that I believe knowledge is the product of the mind.  Another reason why I’m trying to distance myself from Realism is because of what I have learned in other classes about the philosophy.  Most Realists tend to highlight the fact that humans are self-serving, and are only motivated by greed and power.  As a future teacher, I can honestly say I’m not doing it for the modest salary or the power over children.