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Philosophy of Education
Anna M. Maglov
Department of Education: Chesapeake University

ECD: 270 Practicum

Ms. Sarah Ross

February 28, 2022

When it comes to philosophies of education, each educator has a different viewpoint on

what is most important and why. Philosophies come from education but also from personality

and personal preferences. Education is also ever changing so philosophies often grow and change

as the educator goes through their career. For me, I believe the ultimate purpose of early

childhood education is to help children learn how the world works, how they work, and how they

fit into the world around them.

Having the purpose be so broad is actually ideal. Often I feel like early childhood

educators get bogged down with the curriculums and information that needs to be imparted for

children to be successful in school in the coming years. There are such high expectations set on

these children at such an early age. Ultimately though, children learn by exploring and

experiencing the world around them. They need the opportunity to understand the world as well

as themselves and how they can be apart or even make an important impact in the world around

them.

Children are being exposed earlier and earlier to testing and other harsh academic

expectations that are simply not developmentally appropriate. This is not what I would consider

the ideal conditions for learning. Allowing children the ability to explore things, even potentially

dangerous things, so that they can actually learn from them and grow more aware of their

surroundings, as opposed to always being cushioned and restricted, is important as it creates real

world limits that the child really understands and can take with them.

When thinking about a developmentally appropriate classroom for early childhood

education, it is important to remember that it must make sense for the age group. Having 3 year

olds sit at desks all day simply doesn’t work, the children developmentally are unable to take in
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information in this manner for more than a few moments and behavior problems would occur

from boredom. Understanding that the classroom is for the child and the schedule should reflect

children’s needs when possible is always ideal, as it creates an environment that promotes

success each day, as opposed to over expectation and failure (Developmentally Appropriate

Practices with Young Children n.d.). Allowing children choices and the ability to actually make

decisions about what goes on in the classroom or what they would and would not like to do

throughout the day also encourages further independence and creativity for this age group.

Developmentally, independence is such an important skill for the children to be developing at

this age; setting clear limits for the children helps them understand where their independence can

really flourish and where the line is drawn for needing to ask for assistance. Children should

also have a clear understanding of what will happen if the limits are broken, and consistency is

key. The child should know when they are breaking the limits, why it is not okay, and what will

happen as disciplinary measures prior to them ever actually breaking the limits, so that there are

no surprises. Age appropriateness is the key here; discipline, limits, and expectations should all

be clearly tailored to the age group and be able to be understood by the child or else they are

likely to struggle more, simply from lack of understanding.

When it comes to curriculums, there are lots of fancy sets out there. One key feature of

any good curriculum is that it is intentionally constructed in an non-bias approach so that all are

accepted and represented (Planning and Implementing and Engaging Curriculum). Creating a

classroom free of stereotypes can help boost the children in becoming more confident in

themselves as well as more accepting of others. Ensuring that the curriculum is flexible is also

key; teaching really should cater to children’s personal interest and expand on them to help them

stay better engaged. It also should cover all key learning domains; while language/literature and
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cognitive skills tend to be seen as most important for school readiness, children really need

curriculums focusing on developing their social skills, self regulation skills, creative imagination,

and effective body movement. Understanding how to relate and interact with other children and

how to handle their own personal feelings are two key features that, especially once in grade

school, frequently get forgotten about. Children need to understand how to ask for turns and how

to express that they are angry in ways other than hitting. While these may seem like skills that

are only important for young children, these skills ultimately are built upon in helping older

children and adults understand how to create healthy relationships with others as well as the

development of positive self worth. Having these skills will benefit an individual for their entire

life and should be taken more seriously in education.

Finally the skills of an early childhood educator can be focused on. Having an educator

who really understands the developmental age group and possesses the tools to help the children

in that particular age group succeed is ultimately what really makes a successful classroom.

Taking the time to educate teachers on the stages of early childhood development so that they

really can understand the whole child is key. While personal traits such as being patient, kind,

caring, and understanding all play an important role, if that teacher does not have the knowledge

and tools to help the age group, then the children can never truly succeed. Being willing to

continue to obtain further education and being aware of the newest practices and techniques

within the field can continue to improve the classroom, as new information is always being

discovered about best practices for young children. Finally, having teachers involved with their

families and the community, so that they see where their kids really come from outside the

classroom, can be greatly insightful for an educator (Engaging in Reciprocal Partnerships with
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Families). Advocating for the children’s best interest through the community and encouraging

best practices for families, helping them learn as a partner, can boost entire communities.

So ultimately, being an educator is a complicated career. Taking the time to learn about

best practices, developmentally appropriate information, curriculums and ideals are all

imperative, but ultimately meeting every community where it is and working individually with

each child to help them succeed, not just in school, but as people in this world, is my main goal.
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References

Developmentally Appropriate Practices with Young Children. Sandhill Community College.

(n.d.). https://www.sandhills.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/develop_practices.pdf

Engaging in Reciprocal Partnerships with Families . NAEYC. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2022,

from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/engaging-families

Planning and Implementing and Engaging Curriculum. NAEYC. (n.d.).

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/planning-curriculum