1. Philosophy of Education
- Daniel Welker -
The following Philosophy of Education encompasses my views on education as a student and a future
teacher. I find that education is the means by which we satisfy that innermost human curiosity that
drives us all, whereas the product of education can take many forms. It can be utilitarian, relegated to a
hobby, it can provide an unmistakable life goal, or it can provide abstract answers to meaningless
questions. Simply put, education is whatever we make of it, but it is never worthless. My education
began with wonder—the day I discovered the wackiness and purity of math was the day I began to love
it. I discovered that maths is the most reliable descriptor of the universe, and yet we struggle to find
practical applications for it. I discovered that mathematicians struggle to prove the simplest of solutions
without relying on arbitrary rules created to understand what we observe. My first love was maths, and
that curiosity has driven me all the way to make it my college major. And to think that I once hated the
subject.
I have always expected students—peers and those I have taught—to respect authority and attempt to
find interest within the subject. Every student approaches school differently, but most students fall into
three categories and remain there: overachievers, underachievers, and non-achievers who simply get by
on the bare minimum. Every single category can struggle with finding interest within a subject, but
without that interest there is no motivation to learn. If students can discover interest in a subject, and I
expect that every student can, the rest of their responsibilities will come naturally and they will
approach their maximum potential as a student.
As a teacher, I only hope that I will be able to facilitate the process of unlocking the potential of each
student as best as I can. The best teachers that I have ever been privileged to learn under did nothing
more than create curiosity in me that I did not know I possessed. Maths and literature were two subjects
that I never much enjoyed, but Jacob Mohler and Micah Gall, respectively, instilled a fascination with
mathematics and literature. If I am only ever half the teacher that they were to me, I know I will have
succeeded in my profession.
I plan to approach the classroom as a reformer. I have never been satisfied to leave something broken if
I knew it could be fixed, and I would like to apply that to the classroom. I am under no illusions about
my position—a schoolteacher is a far cry from a principal or a governor—but a teacher is not in a
powerless position. I plan on being a flexible teacher, perhaps willing to reschedule a test if it coincides
with other tests, or being willing to discuss what is a fair amount of homework to assign. The
characteristic that I as a student valued most in a teacher was an understanding that each student is a
human with human commitments and obligations. I hope to be the sort of teacher that I would have
enjoyed and learned well from as a student.
There are many beliefs and experiences that I bring to this career. I am a Christian, I am an introvert,
my sister has autism, I am a middle child, I am a dreamer, an adventurer, and an explorer: each of those
things is a part of me as a person, and will impact the way I approach teaching. I am passionate about
advocating for students with autism. I hope to be a champion for the introvert in the room. It is my
desire to see my students dream and explore their way through their education. Teaching is a mission
field for me.
Education is never a finished process, because our curiosity is never satisfied. I am thankful for that.