I believe the Lord has called me become an educator. I understand the important role that education and schooling play in our democratic society. I believe a good teacher knows how to communicate information to their students in ways that meet each student’s individual need. I believe students must learn though doing. I want to give my students the opportunity to develop skills that can be used through out life. I believe I fit into the teacher- centered philosophy of essentialism. I understand that Essentialism is a philosophy that comes from the beliefs of Plato and Aristotle. Plato believed in Idealism. I understand that Idealism is the oldest philosophy of the Greeks and Romans. The Greek and Roman philosophies are called Western philosophies. Idealism is the oldest Western philosophy (Cody-Mitchell, 2008). It is my understanding that Plato believed certain facts that are true. These true facts help students learn about the real world. Aristotle taught that our world must be understood in a real way. This belief is called Realism (Cody-Mitchell, 2008). I have had many different kinds of jobs. I had to work with other people in every job. I feel Physical Education teaches students how to get along as a part of a team.Teachers who believe in Essentialism understand the importance of teaching skills that students can use in the real world. Essentialist classrooms use the “core curriculum”(Sadker&Sadker, 2005,pp 331). I know that it is important for all students to be able to use reading, writing, math, history, science, and now a foreign language in their work.
I know that Carson Newman College teaches students to value Christian principles. I am a Christian and I believe that these principles influence how I should act with those around me. Essentialist understands the importance of God and country. I know that personal discipline is critical to success in life. I want to help my students learn to be disciplined as people and as members of a group, I believe that Physical Education is important to help student develop themselves in both of these ways. I want to teach students the importance of healthy living. I feel it is my job as a Physical Education teacher to help students learn the proper techniques for exercise. I also think that students need to learn to work together. Team -building is an important part of most physical group activities.

I also believe in the student-centered philosophy of Progressivism. This philosophy comes from Pragmatism. According to Pragmatism, truth is a personal understanding (Cody-Mitchell, 2008). I understand that I can not expect my students to want to learn information just because I want them to know the information. The students must see their own need to learn the information. I know from personal experience that I learn best when I can see a real reason for using the information that is being given for me to learn.

I can tell a student the correct technique for holding a golf club. I can demonstrate the technique. The student will only be interested in learning the technique if they see real life examples of how that this information will help them become better at playing the game of golf. The Progressive philosophy sees the importance of putting curriculum into real life situations. I think that Physical Education is a great example of the progressive philosophy. The Physical Education classroom is an active environment where both the teacher and students are working together in an active learning experience.
As a constructivist, I will teach in a way that allows students to discover new information. I will use the teacher-centered philosophy of Essentialism to determine the best skill based curriculum to meet the individual needs of all of my students. I will use the student-centered understandings of Progressivism to design active learning experiences that encourage small group interactions.
References
Cody-Mitchell (2008). Philosophical foundations [PowerPoint slides] Retrieved
July 10, 2008 from
https://webct.cn.edu/educ303558aol/Philosophical%20Foundations.ppt

Ellsworth,J.(1998). Overview of Educaitnal Philosophies. Retrieved July 10, 2008
from http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese502/assessment/lesson.html.

Ryan,K.&Cooper,J.(2004). Those who can teach. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Sadker,M.P.&Sadker,D.M.(2005).Teachers, Schools and Society. New York:
McGraw Hill