Question:
Are accountants required to compose their own personal philosophy of accounting? What about a personal philosophy of nursing for nurses? or lawyers? physicians? physicists? economists? astronauts? Google the term "personal educational philosophy." Read some of the hits. These documents range from the insipid to the inane. What is the practical, professional value of this exercise? What makes educators so unique that they each need their own personal philosophy of education while other professions manage quite well without them? ( I should mention that the recommended length for this document is "not more than 2 pages" ! ) Doesn't this exercise turn philosophy into a term or field of study that becomes so relative as to be meaningless? Doesn't this weaken educators' standing in academic and professional communities instead of strengthening it?
Answers:
A personal educational philosophy statement is a brief written overview of the teacher's goals, priorities, and responsibilities while teaching. It is a summary, from the teacher's perspective, of their relationship to the student in the classroom.
It is valuable to complete this statement because the overview gives quick insights into the educational beliefs of the teacher at the point in time it was written. It forces the teacher to become self aware of their own teaching style. When compared to the educational philosophy statements of others, it can show areas of vision, areas of strength, and also areas of opportunity for growth in the teacher's style.
An educational philosophy statement can change over time. It can change as the teacher gains experience in the classroom. It will usually change as the teacher accomplishes educational challenges. These accomplishments will lead to a new understanding of their role as a teacher.
It is similar to a mission statement in business, except it is more personal in nature, and you may not find it posted on the wall of the classroom. It might be kept somewhere at home where the teacher can see it and review it regularly.
It would not hurt any professional, accountants, nurses, lawyers, astronauts, etc. to complete their own personal occupational philosophy statement. The practical value is to capture and capsulize the vision they hold towards their profession, and their personal expectations as they do their job.
A personal philosophy statement does not affect the study of philosophy, or change that field of study. It doesn't weaken the educator's standing in the academic field or professional communities unless it shows the educator to be out of touch with what is normally expected from a teacher.
You will find that many people routinely organize their goals, and priorities into a kind of personal philosophy statement. It is the starting point for planning and building towards the long term goals one seeks to accomplish.
This article contents is post by this website user, HiAnswer.com doesn't promise its accuracy.
More Questions & Answers...