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Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Unit 1 You—The Teacher of Tomorrow
Case Study
As a class, read the case study and discuss the
questions that follow. After you fi nish studying
the chapter, discuss the case study and questions
again. What have you learned about developing a
philosophy of teaching statement?
Can teaching and baseball combine into
one career? Andrew hopes so. Andrew is
now a senior and is applying to colleges with
the hopes of beginning a degree program
in elementary education. His dream is to
become a certifi ed teacher, to coach Little
League® baseball, and eventually, to start a
school for at-risk kids that combines a love
for sports with a love for learning. He knows
that these are big dreams and he wants
to make sure that he chooses a university
program that will help him achieve these
goals. The program he is most interested
in is at his state university. As part of the
application process, Andrew must write his
philosophy of teaching for admittance into the
School of Education within the university.
Y
ou are considering teaching as a career although that may seem
to be years into the future. In reality, you need to begin the process now.
The goal of this chapter is to help point you in the right direction. Learning
about the steps to take to reach your goal and what you can accomplish
while you are still in high school are instrumental in becoming a teacher.
What if you change your mind along the way? Changing your mind
is okay, too. Through your experiences, you may decide you still want
to teach, but perhaps a different level or subject. Gaining this valuable
insight is vital to a successful career. If you decide that teaching is not
for you, you can explore another career path knowing more about your
interests and abilities. Virtually everything you learn along the way will
serve you well, regardless of the career you eventually choose.
Let’s Discuss
• What is a philosophy of teaching
statement?
• What should Andrew consider
including in this statement to make
him stand out from other applicants
and yet be authentic?