An overview of my personal philosophy of education, including the roles and responsibilities institutes of education have in the development of individuals, support of families, and impact on communities.

1. Megan Frese
HDFS 5150 Families, Schools, & Community
3 February 2019
Philosophy of Education
Schools should focus on the development of the whole child – not just cognitively, but socially,
emotionally, and physically as well. School is often one of the first domains in which a child is exposed to
people who look, think, and act differently than they do. Therefore,school should be a social learning
environment where students are able to build relationships with others, learn how to understand and
respect opinions and perspectives that differ from their own, and appreciate diversity and inclusiveness.
As Andy Horne, former Dean of UGA’s College of Education put it, “If we can’t learn together as
children, how can we live together as people?”
School is often described as preparation for “the real world,” but I disagree with the notion that
the primary purpose of education is to develop producers and consumers for the capitalist market. While
an aspect of education is career development, it is so much more than that. The classroom is not a bubble
removed from the realworld, but rather should be viewed as a magnifying glass with which teachers and
students can analyze current topics and issues.
Additionally, schools should ensure they make efforts to promote autonomy and agency in every
student. One easy way to do this is provide opportunities for students to select the types of courses they
would like to take. In being able to choose their own classes (within appropriate limits), students are told
that their choices and interests matter. They are also more likely to foster an appreciation for education
when they are learning things that they truly care about.
Not only should students be allowed to make choices for themselves, they should also be given
opportunities to fail. I do not mean schools should not have expectations for their students to try their best
in all assignment. Rather,I mean that, much like in parenting, education should provide opportunities for
students to mess up. Offering choices but directing students to only make decisions that the teacher thinks
is best for them will not promote self-growth or development of agency. Educators should make it clear to
students that it is okay if they mess up or fail at something and assist their students in understanding why
they may have failed and what they can do in the future to be more successful.
A school cannot be solely responsible for the development of its students, of course. There are
powerful influences within a student’s family and community that influence development as well. As
such, schools should take a family-centered approach in education, understanding that students are never

2. isolated from their family influence. Educators should connect with each student’s family in order to
better understand the student as an individual and within the context of their lives outside of school.
Educators should recognize the trajectories each student is on and offer ways to change such paths. For
example, if a teacher knows a student is a first-generation student and a child of immigrants, the teacher
should connect the student and her family with any available resources to ensure the most optimal
education and future path for the student.
More than anything, I believe education should focus on teaching students how to think, not what
to think. The ability for students to think critically, make connections between things they have learned,
understand different points of view, and ask questions to further their understanding are,I believe, greater
indicators of success than memorizing lists of names and dates. I believe the best teachers are those who
can foster a genuine passion and curiosity in his or her students, not necessarily the ones who garner the
highest test scores.