Essentialism and Social Reconstructionism Essay -- Education Teaching

Essentialism and Social Reconstructionism The field of study that I chose to go into is Elementary Education. For the past two summers, I have participated in the AmeriCorps Energy Express program and I can honestly say the experiences I have with this program are very enlightening and valuable to my ideas and conceptions about being an educator. Through Energy Express, I came up with my own theory. Any mind seeks to always place its limits and boundaries around that which they do not fully understand. It seems that all concepts and ideas must be placed in this little box for all others to comprehend and follow. The same holds true for philosophies of education. There are countless numbers of ways that educators go about teaching their students, however, six have been singled out and dissected to death. Along with most other education majors pertaining to their philosophies, I too cannot seem to find one single one to encompass all of my beliefs and desires that I hold for teaching my future students. However, ho lding true to my assigned task, it appears that of the six major philosophies, I more closely agree with and can relate to those of Essentialism and Social Reconstructionism. The traditional family as we know it, over the years, has taken numerous setbacks resulting in many children and young adults entering life and school with a very â€Å"unstable foundation†. People ask, â€Å"By whose morals and values are you going to teach these students?† Despite today’s beliefs, there are necessary morals and values out there that everyone should observe. Whether people are offended or not, the qualities that I will teach have in the past and still today proven worthy by building strong families, communities,... ...ssibilities, because I do not want to hold back or restrict any opportunities that may come my way. Once I have settled into my teaching career, I plan to further my education by going for my master’s degree in education. The only reason I see myself going for my master’s degree is the increased competition, many educators have already or are in the process of getting theirs. I believe that once I set my standards for teaching, I will let no further education make me feel as if I am above my students. In order for them to learn, I can never be above them. Teaching is the simple task of transmitting one’s knowledge to another. What I can do as a teacher is to help my students to leave knowing that anything can be learned, and anything can be accomplished. If the desire to learn and work for something is evident, any task can be challenged and overcome.