A personal philosophy is personal and unique and helps to guide and shape the philosophy kaiako develop in practice.
Do you have a personal philosophy?
A personal philosophy is a set of guiding principles that we live by. It influences everything from the words we say, to the places we go, the goals we make, and even items that we will and will not purchase at the store.
Your philosophy describes the way you:
- think about your world
- see yourself within your world
- see your practices as a kaiako
- determine your values
- determine your beliefs.
Each person will have their own thoughts, values, and beliefs that make up their own philosophy.
Activity – Developing your philosophy
1. List ten values
Write down ten things that you value in life, that you believe in, that shape the way you think, and the way you see the world.
Read these for inspiration and to help you create your own but don't feel they are a to do list!
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Stay respectful of yourself and others. |
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There are no failures — just results to learn from. |
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You are here to make good things happen. |
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Keep stretching and challenging yourself. |
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You don’t have to understand everything. |
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Personal integrity (Mana) should guide every action. |
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Impact matters more than intent. |
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Be mindful in both your personal and professional life. |
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Learn by doing. |
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Be bold and have big dreams. |
2. Create your own personal statement
Using your list of values and beliefs, write a personal philosophy in sentence form that describes your approach to life. (20-30 words)
Find an image online that matches the feel of your statement. If you can, create your own meme by putting your statement on the image.
Here are some inspirational memes:
3. Create a journal post
Upload your meme or image and statement in a journal post and publish it for your peers. Review and place encouraging feedback for others.
Now that we have a grasp of what a personal philosophy is, let's relate it to our way of thinking and beliefs in the early childhood education sector.
What is important to you in regard to:
- Children
- Parents, whānau, and community
- Environment
- Teaching environment
- The learning experience.
Following are some teaching philosophies from an article called 4 Teaching Philosophy Statement Examples. Read through them and see which of them resonates with you and why.
Sample 1 |
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| "My philosophy of education is that all children are unique and must have a stimulating educational environment where they can grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. It is my desire to create this type of atmosphere where students can meet their full potential. I will provide a safe environment where students are invited to share their ideas and take risks." |
| This passage is an example of a strong statement of teaching philosophy because it puts students where they belong in education: at the front and centre of a teacher's focus. An author who writes such as a statement is likely to continuously examine and verify this philosophy by always ensuring that student needs are the primary focus of all lessons and schoolwork. |
Sample 2 |
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"I believe that all children are unique and have something special that they can bring to their own education. I will assist my students to express themselves and accept themselves for who they are, as well as embrace the differences of others. Every classroom has its own unique community; my role as the teacher will be to assist each child in developing their own potential and learning styles. I will present a curriculum that will incorporate each different learning style, as well as make the content relevant to the students' lives. I will incorporate hands-on learning, cooperative learning, projects, themes, and individual work that engage and activate students learning." |
| This statement is a good example of a teaching philosophy because the author emphasises that all classrooms, and all students, are unique and have specific learning needs and styles. A teacher with such a philosophy will likely ensure that they spend time helping each student achieve their highest potential. |
Sample 3 |
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"I believe that a teacher is morally obligated to enter the classroom with only the highest of expectations for each and every one of her students. Thus, the teacher maximizes the positive benefits that naturally come along with any self-fulfilling prophecy. With dedication, perseverance, and hard work, her students will rise to the occasion. I aim to bring an open mind, a positive attitude, and high expectations to the classroom each day. I believe that I owe it to my students, as well as the community, to bring consistency, diligence, and warmth to my job in the hope that I can ultimately inspire and encourage such traits in the children as well." |
| This statement provides a solid example because the author emphasises the moral objective of teaching: that they will hold each student to the highest expectations and ensure that each one is diligent in her studies. Implied in this statement is that the teacher will not give up on even a single recalcitrant student. |
Sample 4 |
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"I believe that a classroom should be a safe, caring community where children are free to speak their mind and blossom and grow. I will use strategies to ensure our classroom community will flourish, like the morning meeting, positive vs. negative discipline, classroom jobs, and problem-solving skills. Teaching is a process of learning from your students, colleagues, parents, and the community. This is a lifelong process where you learn new strategies, new ideas, and new philosophies. Over time, my educational philosophy may change, and that's okay. That just means that I have grown and learned new things." |
| This statement takes a slightly different tack: Classrooms should be warm and caring communities. Unlike the previous statements, this one minimizes the individuality of students and emphasizes that, essentially, it takes a village to foster truly community-based learning. All teaching strategies then, such as morning meetings and community problem solving, follow this philosophy. |
Activity – Your teaching philosophy
Thinking about what is important to you in ECE write your own personal philosophy of early childhood education (approx. 100 words).
You should be thinking about Te Whāriki and our national approach to ECE as it has some really important and whole picture views that look at physical, emotional, mental, and social aspects to help you build your philosophy.
Also, consider:
- your audience
- the community you will be working in
- your own contribution
- the learning environment, and how you might set it up
- how you can develop professionally.
Create your last journal post of the programme — your teaching philosophy — and publish it for your peers to review. Place encouraging feedback for your peers.
Congratulations! Ka pai!
You have completed the learning for this programme. Good luck with your assessments!
