Reflective Essay Example: Philosophy of Education

As a student who has gone through the typical standard US education system, as a student who has recognized flaws within said system, and as a student who wants to challenge the system, I want to work in the system. To work in a system in which I feel so negative yet so positive can be a conflicting environment to situate myself in. However, that is how change is made, through the discomfort. My experiences in the US educational system and through life have led me to this point of courage. Without a doubt, my experiences and personal background have shaped my ideas, perspectives, and philosophy of education. I am about to talk about how. 

I am many things and the things I am have impacted my education and experiences. I am a First-Generation student. I am the firstborn to a single parent and now the eldest child in my family. I come from a low-income environment. I am proud of all these things. Given that my mother had me at a young age and due to financial stress, she wasn’t able to attend education past high school. Growing up she made it known how important education was and what she sacrificed for me. I have always had the desire to break educational gaps, especially regarding socioeconomic status and generations. I have been taught the importance of education and now have the opportunity to help my siblings and all of those I wish to help in the future. 

I attended a K-12 school system like the average US Citizen is expected. In elementary school, I was a part of a program called “Independent Inquiry” which was a program for “gifted students.” I was also enrolled in a Dual Language Program until high school in which I was taught in English and Spanish. Being involved in the Dual Language Program allowed me to be surrounded by peers who held different identities and cultures as me. I would begin noticing the differences between them and me. Being pulled out of class to attend Independent Inquiry with my white peers while the Hispanic students were left behind in the classroom would be the first realization that affected my future. Later on, in middle school, I would be involved in Honors classes, where once again, they were taken over by white students. White students make up at most 50% of the student population. Recognizing the trend in the “smart” student atmospheres, I chose to leave those environments. I would once again be faced with equitability issues in high school where military recruiters would only hand Hispanic students’ packets for recruitment into the military, given incorrect biases. This would be the flame that lit the path for my future career desires.

My high school Sociology teacher would soon inspire me in a field I now admire. In his classroom, while dealing with an unmotivated student, he said, “This system is designed to push you out, it is up to you to put in the work to stay.” It was at this moment that everything I had experienced was called out for what it was. So many of my peers were consistently fighting against the odds and losing the motivation to push back due to the lack of support they were receiving. The teacher was not afraid to show the issues in our current systems within his class and I thank him for having the courage to do so. Now in college, Prof. Beer, Prof. Groeger, and many others have inspired me further. 

As I examine my experiences, I recognize the strengths and challenges which I have worked with that will aid me in the transition from a learner to a professional. However, I must say, being a learner is never a role you lose. I have the willingness to do the work needed to create environments for students, like those I grew up with, to feel confident in themselves and their education. My inspirations, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, have already begun that work and I hope to continue it. I want to work in a higher education environment to be the advocate students need to reassure them that they are worthy of furthering their education, so it be their wish. I know that I do not know everything, and I know that as a white female I cannot experience certain experiences that all students face but I hope to use my inner Mitchie to try my best to learn. I can engage with students, friends, and families to gain deeper insight. I use my studies to learn about differences in people, cultures, and the issues thereof. I strive to educate myself through others and that is what the students need, someone to listen and see them as more than what the system is pushing them towards.  

It may have already been noticeable, but I believe the aim of our current education system is to filter students, especially those of certain identities, out. Education today is a tool to filter but also to educate future adults on how to conform and submit themselves to control. I avenge this. Dewey inspires me in that he has hope. I hope that schools become a place for engagement and self-discovery. Where students can use experiences to discover who they are and what their desires are and to feel capable of reaching them rather than feeling pushed. Students learn best when they feel supported, seen, and heard, so schools should work against capitalistic and racist initiatives to provide an environment where students can feel worked with rather than for. Students should feel encouraged and motivated. Students should feel the empowerment to have the access to knowledge. That is why I want to do what I want to do. 

As a student who has and is experiencing the system, I want to work in the system to help students who are experiencing the system. I want to be the pull for students being pushed. As Perrone (1991) said, “An education that builds bridges, that makes fuller learning more possible, that expands a young person’s potential for independence is, in today’s terms, an ‘empowering education.’” (p. 9) Knowledge is a source of power, and it is empowering. Therefore, I believe that all students, regardless of identity, should have equitable access to education, higher education included. In a system pushing students out, I want to pull them and keep them in. I want to be a liaison for students who feel their voices and options have been taken from them. To do so, I will use my experiences. I will continue educating myself. I will fight against stereotypes. I will inform others. I will challenge the system and exemplify courage. I will provide an environment where students feel supported and empowered with the opportunity to continue their educational paths.