Philosophy of Education

Imagine a cross country meet. The runners line up at the start line in a big pack, ready to race. As soon as the gun is fired, they’re off. The coach sprints ahead of them on the course to shout words of encouragement. “You can do it!” the coach yells. Each runner paces themselves, and along the way encourages their teammates. Whether they finish first or last, the runners have ran a hard race, improved their times, and have done their best.

Much like a runner stretches in preparation for a race, a proper education stretches, challenges, and prepares students for life. An educational environment allows students to form friendships and provides them with social interactions that are vital to their success.

Teachers and coaches have a lot in common. As the coach encourages the runner, the teacher does that same thing in the classroom. Teachers play a key role in allowing each student to reach their full potential. Realizing that each student is unique and learns in different ways and paces is essential to being an effective teacher. Teachers must encourage each student to press on, even if something is difficult.

Much like injuries in cross country or any other sport, a teacher must understand that some students are struggling outside of the academic realm, whether that is with family issues, social problems, or any other problem that might inhibit their learning. Teachers must be fair, reach out to all students, and provide them with an environment that is conducive to learning. It is important to establish the classroom as a place where students feel comfortable and open to share their ideas and opinions without feeling inadequate. Teachers must also provide students with a comprehensive study of the subject area and cover the required standards. It is important for the teacher to actively engage the students in the classroom setting.

A coach may spend a number of hours calculating strategy and gathering information about the opposing team in order to prepare for the meet. Preparation in teaching is also essential. It provides for a smoother atmosphere and better classroom management.

Cross country is an individual sport as well as a team sport. In the classroom, students will need to assume responsibility for their actions and their education, while motivating and challenging their peers to succeed as well. Just as the cross country runners push to better their times, the students also need to strive to do their best and to establish reasonable expectations.

The ability and will to teach are gifts given to special individuals. Steve Prefontaine, a great long distance runner, summed this up by saying, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift.”

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Though I will not be teaching in schools but rather at the University level, I still hold that most of these ideas (if not all) apply at the University level.

yac