Pulled in Several Directions

I have had a difficult time trying to decide what to phlog about.

Do I phlog about the book I’m reading Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman, which has me completely intimidated about teaching. But its also a little comforting, since I have experienced some things that are in the book.

Do I phlog about my Independent Learning Requirements? Philosophy Paper? Some of the interesting things I’ve been told by teachers and students? I have been asking everyone what they think makes a good teacher, what their philosophy of teaching is, and What is good teaching?

So I am sitting her on Friday night trying to decide what to write about…perhaps I’ll write about the one thing that I would change about school/education/teaching/students/etc. Unfortunately I don’t think I am far enough along studying and classroom experience to be able to make an educated answer at this point.

So instead I will blog about one of the things we worked on in class on Tuesday. We had an exercise where we worked in groups and answered some questions about democracy. One of the questions was, how do we define the term democracy? My group’s answers were similar in some respects and different in others. One thing that was similar was that we, one way or another felt that democracy means that everyone has a say as to where our country goes…since we elect our representatives and then vote for them. One of the things we came across that wasn’t completely agreed upon was even though we elect our representatives there are limitations to those elected officials. To be able to run for office you have to have money. The gal who just won the gop in Delaware said that she knew how it was to struggle and that she would be there for the people of America. Next she said if you want to donate to her campaign you can go online, etc, she only needs one million plus dollars for the next month and a half. I am still appalled by the two contractions. Another thing that we talked about was that even though we elect the representatives they are sometimes influenced by others and/or their own agenda. I find myself feeling helpless with the situation sometimes but I know that there are good people out there who want to do what’s right.

Ok enough ranting or whatever phlogging this was tonight…have a great weekend and see you all on Tuesday :o)

to much

What should education provide students in Modern America?

This could be a simple question with a simple answer. Education should provide students in Modern America with the ability to earn a living after they leave school.  Students should be able to provide for themselves and be a productive member of society.

Fortunately I don’t believe that this is an easy question to answer.

Yes, I believe that education should provide students with the ability to earn a living or go to college or travel the world, or, or, or…  I also believe that students need to be educated as critical thinkers, learn to read, have a set of values, as well as, students should be taught to be respectful, to be proactive, to know that mistakes are good and acceptable, etc.

Now the next question is…how do we regulate/standardize education?  Is the same standard taught in Hawaii as they are in Alaska?  Who is in charge of deciding what standards are to be? Funding? Is this a state-by-state issue or do the peeps in DC decide? The list could go on and on.  This question is for another time…one because I’m not sure I have the answer (actually I know I don’t) and two it would take me all night just to write down that I don’t have an answer.

On a side note…something that comes to mind because of my families involvement in the Roadrunner Food Bank is that 1 in 5 people in a food line is a child.  A child cannot learn nor would they want to learn if they are hungry.  Their only focus is going to be on food.  I feel that there is so much that goes into educating students…more than I am even touching on in today’s blog.

Welcome to my first blog :o)


Hi I’m Megan. I’m currently in class to earn my teacher’s license. This blog, or phlog (philosophical blog), stems from my class Foundations of Education. This is my first phlog and I’m excited to share my views and findings from this class.

I will be phlogging (philosophical blogging) weekly! I hope you enjoy!

I am beginning my journey to become a teacher. This semester, our primary focus is determining our personal Philosophy of Education. This is an important subject to think about, as I believe having a personal philosophy can make you a strong teacher, mentor, person, etc. For example, I’ve been coaching figure skating for over ten years and have developed and refined my coaching philosophy since the beginning. Having a specific philosophy, I’ve witnessed how my coaching and students have improved over the years. I’ve also learned that this philosophy must continue to develop and evolve.

After this class, I expect that the philosophy of education I walk away will too continue to evolve.

Our professor provided us with some phlogging questions to use if we choose…I decided to use one: What do you think is the fundamental purpose in teaching?

This is a simple and tough question all in one. Actually all of the questions were like that. I have an analogy that helps sum up what I believe teaching is (at this point at least)…I actually use this metaphor for my coaching. I believe that the fundamental purpose of teaching is like creating/building a house; teaching begins by laying foundation then adding bricks. You have to lay down a strong solid foundation then you may begin building the house. I believe all teachers help with laying the foundation to give the students a solid area to build upon.