Running head：Personal Philosophy of Special Education 1

Personal Philosophy of Special Education

Jun Sun

College of Southern Nevada

 2

1. The Profession: Why you are choosing this profession? Who or what experience has

inspired you? What is your personal knowledge or skill set that will serve you? What is

your current understanding of the school system you are choosing to enter?

The reason why I chose this profession is because I always enjoy the time with a child,

and I am willing to spend the rest of my live to take care of them and help them to create a better

future. About three years ago, I had a chance to join a voluntary program called “Support

Education,” which is a short-term program for university students to teach at remote

mountainous regions in China. This was my first experience of teaching and made me realize

that the importance of teachers for a child, and how passionate I am for this profession. I know

that there is so much to learn to be a competent teacher. Even though transcending the language

barriers is still my first task, I am proud to say that I am a patient, sincere and persistent person,

all these important qualities will serve me to achieve my goal. In American education system, it

was all about the children. Parents, school personnel and government must cooperate with each

other and spare no effort to help the child to be successful.

2. Teaching Philosophy: What educational philosophy and psychological orientation dictate

your current beliefs about special education? How does your knowledge of historical events

set the stage for how you will think about children and schools?

As an educator, we should keep in mind that “All students have specific needs,

characteristics and learning styles” and “All students can learn.” We need to be patient,

persistent, and willing to take initiative to find the individual traits of our students. As Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr. once said, ''We are not makers of history. We are made by it.'' Our origins and

the events that have occurred over time make a difference in how we see and do things today. All

the historical events have great significance for modern education.

 3

3. Instruction: What strategies will you implement? What will be your approaches to

learning, student diversity, student variability, and assessment?

The purpose of the educational strategies is to help educators to build on the child’s

strengths. In order to enhance educational achievements, we must be willing to spend time and

attention to work with the parents, communities and associated specialists. Be calm and patient

and do our best to bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to the student. However, it is essential

to know the students well and ensure they have received appropriate educational services. We

need to be aware of the diversity and variability of each child and accept them.

4. Future: What qualities do you need to possess to move forward in this career? What

specific steps (education, employment, volunteer experiences) do you plan to undertake in

order to achieve your goals?

The main challenges I am facing as a teacher are my language barrier, and lack of the

related professional knowledge. According to my study plan, I will continue my studies in

CSN to acquire an associate degree for the next year. After that, I am going to transfer to

University of Florida to continue the undergraduate and graduate study. And try my best to be a

certified special education teacher. Even though it is still a long way to go, and in some

circumstances, I still feel uncertainty about my future. Sometimes, the bad situations make me

feel sad and helpless. But no matter how, I won’t give up, just as my favorite quote says,

“Remember the days you played for the things you have now,” and just keep going.