Platform Paper Essays - Educational Psychology,

Platform Paper In education, I believe I have seen it all. I have seen teachers who love what they do and would probably do it for free. I have seen teachers who, it seems, are punching a time clock and would not dream of working over forty hours a week. And lastly, I have seen teachers who undoubtedly must live at the school in which they work because they never leave the building before dark, no matter what the season. I have made friends, enemies, partners, and developed friendships with just about every person I have come into contact with in the field of education. I create friendships with all teachers because I believe it is in the best interest of children, and, because I want to make the difference in the life of a child. No matter what the intent of being in a school setting may be, there should be only one goal: making the difference in the life of a child. How often is this simple thought forgotten when it comes to the students' learning? As part of the educational system, my first concern is that of the children. For the first three years of my career, I have been fortunate enough to work for administrators who, I feel, had the same beliefs I do, a child-centered attitude. As they worked, I watched and I learned. I wanted to some day have the type of climate in my building as they had in their own. And, as I start to pursue my dream of being a building administrator, I often think I have the same desires as the wonderful building principals I have worked for. I want to create an atmosphere that matches theirs ? a positive place for students to learn, created by all the stakeholders of the district. PUTTING THE CHILD IN THE CENTER "One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child." The first and primary goal I would have as an administrator would be all to hold the belief that there are no disposable students. Some students may not learn how or exactly what we want them to, but at the same time, that does not make them disposable. "A large part of our population believes that many children are not fully educable. Trainable for a job, but not educable for the duties of citizenship and the things that are essential to a hood human life" (Adler, 1982). Having disposable children is a belief of some teachers because of how schooling has traditionally been delivered. A change in this thought process must be met by each and every adult the student comes in contact with during his or her schooling to ensure both his or her academic and personal development of every child. There should be one adult advocate for every child in the school, giving the student the feeling there is someone in his or her corner. In order for this to occur, students need to be actively involved in the learning process. "The (student-centered learning) environment provides interactive, complimentary activities that enable students to address their unique learning interests and needs" (Land, 1996). A major part of student-centered learning is the empowerment of the student to make choices concerning their individual learning. This style, in turn, would help students to feel valued and respected, which would also help with a student's self-esteem. Because of the environment created, students in the building, I hope, would feel more motivated to be actively involved in their own learning, and therefore, would be responsible stakeholders in their own education. In this educational environment, students would build stronger relationships with students and adults, and hopefully would help provide a sense of community in the school. WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS IS BEING MADE? "Schooling has traditionally been about people memorizing a lot of stuff that they don't really care too much about, and the whole approach is quite fragmented" (O'Neill, 1995). This is why I believe we "lose" some students in the educational process. If students were actively involved, were interested in what was being taught, and worked cooperatively with other students in a hands-on learning environment, more students would feel empowered by the opportunities they were given, and, they would respond in a more positive manner toward the educational process. "Learning by doing rather than by drill would lead the students to development, formation, integration, unification, continuity, progression, and especially growth" (Diggins, 1989). Progressivism, which was introduced in the United States and Europe in the late 19th century, is a collection