Personal Philosophy of Education
Amanda R. Poole-Loggains
EDU 301
Professor Nicole Benak
March 30, 2015

There are many different educational philosophies, but there are five that are different from the others. Those five educational philosophies are perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism. Each of the outlines a particular belief about education. The educators that believe in these philosophies would make different schools in which students could learn. Perennialism, for the most part, follows the ideas that I have in my ideas about teaching. Each educator will have their teaching philosophy in the classroom. It is not so much about the differences in these philosophies, but how these differences come together to make for a great learning experience. The most conservative, traditional, or inflexible of the five philosophies is perennialism; a philosophy drawing heavily from classical definitions of education (Gradcourses.rio.edu). I believe that drawing from the ways that education used to be can help us in the future. Back when our parents were going to school the belief system about school was much more conservative, like the perennialism philosophy, and you did not see what you see in schools today. Going back to the conservative values of yesteryear would serve us well in the 21st Century of Education. Perennialists believe that education, like human nature, is constant (Gradcourses.rio.edu). Education should always be consistent and not constantly changing. Perennialists believe that education is the preparation for life and should be taught about the world through the study. The best way to learn about how the world works is through structured review. One believe that I have about teaching that students learn best with cohesive and caring learning environment. To have a consistent, constant, and caring environment can only help our future generations. Perennialists would favor a curriculum of subjects and doctrine, taught through highly disciplined drill and behavior control (Gradcourses.rio.edu). I believe that teaching and learning this way in proper time with appropriate curriculum-related activities is the best way to learn. All components of the curriculum are aligned to create a cohesive program for accomplishing instructional purposes and goals (Assist.educ.msu.edu). With Elementary School behind myself, it is not hard to know what my beliefs about my future students will be. One firm belief I have is that all students can learn regardless of their situation. In my experience in schools (PTA involvement, volunteer work, and observations) I have seen teachers ignore those that do not seem to be learners. What I mean is that I have seen teachers ignore students that do not appear to get the lesson. Instead of ignoring these students get them some help and stop ignoring them. Believe that all of your students can succeed regardless of what their situation might be at home or what their genetic disposition to intelligence could be. All students can achieve if given the correct tools. Knowledge is defined as acquaintance with facts, truth, or principles, as from study or investigation (Dictionray.com, 2015). Belief is defined as: something believe; an opinion or conviction. With that said, knowledge is something that you learn from studying, reading, research, or something that you learn in the classroom. Not every student in my future will have the same knowledge. The teaching in the classroom will be the same and they will game the same knowledge from my lessons, but depending on the knowledge children gain from parents or outside research is where it will vary from each student. Knowledge is obtainable by anyone. Now, beliefs, I believe, mostly come from what kind of home training you have. By that I mean, not everyone is raised as a Christian and have strong convictions about situations such as abortion. Belief systems