Richard Conger

Personal Philosophy of Education

My name is Richard Conger and I want to become a Physical education teacher. My father left me

when I was young, so I never really had a father figure in my life. When I got to high school, I met this

physical education teacher/ football coach, and he became someone I could really depend on. He

became somewhat of a father figure for me and throughout my time in high school he showed me

respect, listened to my problems and gave me advice. He some how knew that I needed guidance and I

owe him a lot for him helping me out and keeping me on track. If he were not there, I have no clue how

my life would have turned out. He taught me how to be respectful and how to act as an adult. He is a big

reason as to why I want to become a teacher. One of the reasons I want to become an educator is

because of him, I want to become someone that students can rely on and look up to, and someone that

they know cares about his students and maybe create more students that want to be an educator. The

other reason why I want to become an educator, came later in life when I began coaching my son in

sports. I coached a few seasons in football and little league baseball and it made me realize how much I

enjoy teaching kids about things I know about. There was no better feeling than seeing all your hard

work pay off and see the children doing what you taught them. I would hope that I would also get the

chance to be able to coach football at the high school level. I mostly want to have a job that I enjoy and

that can make a difference in someone’s life even if it ends up only one student that I helped become a

better person than I would be happy. I want nothing more than to be a positive influence and a good

role model for students.

My field observation helped me understand how difficult but rewarding teaching can be. In the small

amount of time that I was observing a high school I witnessed a very shy person turn into a student that

speaks up and answers questions. I also learned that some students need more push to get where they
need to be and that some students can be very bright but are scared or intimidated to speak up in class.

This amazing opportunity also showed me how much change happens in a school. One of the classes my

teacher had needed to be cut because class size was so small. This is how I got to witness changes in

school and how teachers need to be able to adapt. Seeing how classes were taught in this online only

type of school. During the observation I also learned how teachers need to be understanding. There

were a lot of technical problems, from computers that did not have working microphones or cameras,

internet issues, and students that have the responsibilities of taking car of their siblings in the few weeks

I had observed. Throughout the experience the teacher understood the problems they were having

while also still holding them accountable for their assignments and homework to be done. This is also

where you see how difficult it can be since you have no idea how many students can or cannot

participate and which students just log on and skate by.

Next, I will talk about the educational philosophy that stands out the most to me and what I believe

to be my philosophy is progressivism. I feel like a student being comfortable in a classroom is huge for a

student learning. Most students feel most comfortable working with people and seeing how their

answers compare to the answers of their fellow students. I also am a firm believer of you can figure

something out quicker with two brains instead of one. Teamwork is a great thing to teach students

because they will need to know how to work well with others in their future careers. Also dealing with

real world experiences is the best way to learn from mistakes

One of the things I have learned about schools and children is that they are always changing and

evolving. Every student is different and need to be taught different and they are always changing.

Schools are very much the same, schools change constantly and the only way to be able to combat these

changes is to have the ability to adapt. Teachers need to be able to adapt to the school’s rule changes

and, in some cases, the way that they must teach like online classrooms. Teachers also need to be able
to adapt to the challenges of teaching different students, since every student is different. Which leads

me to my next point, how to deal with student diversity.

I plan on treating every student with respect and not judge any students. Some students need to be

pushed a little extra to get them to become the best they can be. A teacher’s job is to help get students

to apply themselves and help guide them to become the best people they can be. I plan on

implementing an open-door policy for my students. I want students to feel comfortable to talk to me

about anything they need and that my door is always open. I do not want to be considered an easy a

teacher. I want to be known as a fair teacher and that all they need to do is try their hardest and they

will be fine in my class. I would also like to start my classes with spending five minutes, then asking my

students how they are doing and ask them if there are any topics they would like to discuss.

Lastly, there are many qualities for why I believe I am perfect to be a teacher and could have a long

career in teaching. I feel like I am very accepting of change and I am always willing to adapt. There is no

such thing as a lost cause, teachers just need to take a step back and look at what they, themselves can

do to help the student learn what they need to. Teachers are not always just teaching; they are learning

as well. I enjoy learning just as much as I enjoy teaching or coaching. I am a fun, caring, and I do not

judge anyone by the way they look. I also have incredibly good drive and I am very committed to being

the best I can be. As an educator you should practice what you preach and if you expect students to be

the best than you need to be the best teacher you can be. I am committed to doing whatever it takes to

help produce the best people I can through my teaching. I plan on continuing school and becoming a

teacher. I will also continue to volunteer to coach my son’s sports teams so I can continue to grow as a

coach, so I will be ready to coach football at a high school level. Doing both of these things I will be able

to achieve all of my goals and once those goals are achieved I will make new goals for myself, like going

back to college and earning a master’s degree or maybe coaching at a collegiate level. I feel that as a
teacher you should never feel complacent and you should always strive to be a better teacher and

person. These are the many reasons why I believe I will be able to grow into one of the best educators

and hopefully a good role model for my students.