Personal Struggle with Philosophy

I have always been mesmerized by different ancient Philosophers. The way they articulated their ideas and the way they developed them has been of great interest to me. The various criticism and counter-criticisms, which helped to shape some of the ideas which have been accepted even today, have always intrigued me. It is interesting to observe some of the early philosophies which have gone through time to still remain relevant. They have gone through various criticisms but still managed to stand for such a long time. It is due to the appreciation of such great ancient philosophers that I sought to enroll in philosophy classes in the hope that through learning, I will be able to understand the basic concepts, and hopefully in future, I will be able to help shape, change, create or even modify the ideas for the benefit of the general public.

My greatest interest lies in the field of education; education, actually, is the source of all the knowledge in the world. It is through it that the philosophical knowledge of others are passed on, and, thus, once it is understood by others, they can evaluate the knowledge through criticism or further analysis. Philosophical ideas are scrutinized and analyzed by the philosophers and academicians, making education a key to advancing knowledge. Since the memorial times, emphasis on education has been advanced through legislation by able leaders. It was a common slogan in the past to emphasize the measures that the government will put in place to advance the education accessibility especially to the youth. This was driven by the fact that there was a need to develop more knowledge and to scrutinize the one that was already documented.     

Aristotle was one of the ancient philosophers who advanced philosophy in the field of education. In one of his publications, Politics, written about 350 BC, he pointed out the need for education amongst the youth and related the education with constitution. He had understood the role that is played by education in molding the citizens to fit the existing government. Thus, for instance, if the government was a democratic one, the citizens needed to be molded to fit that particular system. One of his notable achievements was the change of perception towards education, which by then was reserved for the wealth, since others could afford private tuition and there was no such thing as public education. He emphasized the contribution of education to the general development and in matters such as the morals, abiding to the law, and learning the truth. Thus, through legislation, he emphasized the need for all citizens to be educated. In that regard, one can accurately say that his philosophy contributed to the development of the education systems and infrastructures that exist today. This was a perfect example of how philosophy can change lives in a positive way.

His co-writer Plato emphasized on the need for the same education to the women as well, and thus, the gender equality. He then went on to device a curriculum that was to be followed, emphasizing the need for studies in the various disciplines such as the music. He also indicated the need for leisure in the learning environment, the role of parents in the education system, and the need for drawings in the passing on ideas. He also emphasized on ethics. We can, therefore, all agree that the two philosophers above were among the founders of the education systems that are in practice today. Thus, their philosophy impacted and is still impacting on the societies in a positive way.

Philosophy, in fact, is the foundation of all the teaching styles. It was interesting to learn the four basic styles that are used in education, which are realism, existentialism, idealism, and pragmatism. Despite a conspicuous difference in the four styles, the goal of all of them is universal: to better the learning and the teaching environment. Although there can exist as many styles as there are teaching staffs, they can be boldly classified into one of the four categories. One of the roles that a teacher should play is to attend to the effective needs of students. This includes the emotional and personal needs, and in that way, a favorable learning experience is created, and the students can learn effectively. This, therefore, calls for the teaching staff to be highly astute and well organized in order to be able to meet the demands that are expected of them. It is easier to learn through observation; thus, a teacher should be a good role model to the students. In this regard, teaching ceases to be just like any other career: it calls for extra passion, diligence, and commitment for one to be efficient.

There are so many different philosophies being advanced each year on education. Some of them are conflicting, and thus, it is easy for one to get lost in the process of trying to balance them. The conflicts are in the ideas themselves as well as in the implementation processes. In future, I wish to take a closer look at different education philosophies that have been advanced, challenge them, and attempt to come up with a philosophy approach on the subject that will trigger thinking and studying in order to come up with a harmonized idea that will be more effective.

My whole life has been influenced by teachers. To start with, my mother is a teacher in the junior school, and also a close cousin pursues a teaching career. They have shaped my life to who I am now. The process of learning has always intrigued me, and I love observing and analyzing the learning environment. It is in this regard that I developed interests in that field, and I wish to take a close look at the education philosophy. Hopefully, I can develop my own philosophy that would help in bettering the education systems in future.