Abstract This paper is a reflection on the aims of education, the image of the learner, the image of the teacher, the value of curriculum, and pedagogical ideas. The paper discusses how education is important not just for students but for the whole community. It shows how teachers and parents must work together to provide a positive example for students, and how teachers and administrators can form a collegial culture for guidance and support in the school.

Keywords: educational platform, educational experience, pedagogy, school administration

Educational Platform Development

Education is an important aspect of life not just for students but for communities as well. A community is only going to be as strong as its devotion to education. For that reason, education is not just an exercise that is confined to the school building. On the contrary, it encompasses everyone within a community as its stakeholders range from teachers and administrators to students, parents, and business owners and managers. All will be impacted by the educational platform. This paper will provide a reflection on the aims of education at our school, the image of the learner, the image of the teacher, and more.

Aims of Education

The vision statement for my school is to provide an inclusive learning environment wherein respect for diversity as related to learning styles, family structures, religion, beliefs, disabilities, gender, race, ethnicities, values, and socioeconomic status is provided. In my school, young people need assistance closing the achievement gap and our educators aim to facilitate that process by focusing on promoting reading, writing and arithmetic skills.

Image of the Learner

All students are different and therefore learn in their own ways. Montessori taught that students should be allowed to set their own pace. Active learning has also been identified as a way for deep learning to transpire. Some students benefit from visual learning, others from demonstrations, others from lectures. Students should be active participants in the learning process so that they can take ownership of their education. Individualized learning is promoted when possible, but due to limitations, group learning is often required.

Image of the Teacher

The teacher should be there to assist the student in the educative process by demonstrating a sterling character inside and outside the classroom and by providing as many different approaches to learning as are needed to assist the student. The teacher should be willing to support the student by making home visits, by giving positive feedback, by engaging the student, and by leading through example. The administration views teachers as the front line: there are more than a dozen teachers in our school and all of them are absolutely vital to the school’s success. Teachers work with administrators to develop a teaching plan that will facilitate the aims of the school, but when class is in session teachers are in control of their classrooms.

Value of the Curriculum

Self-directed learning is valued in the school, but really all learning is viewed as intrinsically valuable. The school recognizes that not all students are able to be self-directed learners, at least initially. The STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines are important but they do not reign over the humanities, as the latter are recognized as formative of students’ characters.

Preferred Pedagogy

Inductive learning is helpful with simple concepts but for more advanced learning, deductive methods...

Saying that one pedagogy is better than another can constrain teachers as well. For example, many teachers often develop their own teaching styles over the course of experience and so long as they are effective what matters most is that students are meeting their educative goals. Teachers are encouraged to develop a variety of pedagogical methods to meet the needs of a diverse student body, and self-initiated learning is one of the methods promoted.
Teacher-Student Relationships

We emphasize both caring relationships and content-based learning. That is why class time learning is promoted as being so important alongside the idea of teachers making home visits. Caring and content go hand in hand. Teachers must be holistic in their approach to meeting all the needs of their learners while at the same time ensuring that the group is moving towards the learning objectives. Our teachers and administrative staff thus reflect the schools values by promoting relationships between the school and the community while also focusing on top-notch content learning in the class room.

School Climate

Our school climate is relaxed and open but at the same time there are certain formalities expected of our teachers and students. For instance, we are not strict with dress codes, with seating arrangements, or with how students discuss ideas in class; but students are expected to be in their rooms on time. They are also expected to show respect for everyone in the school and in the community because we teach respect as a value.

Major Achievements of Students this Year

Our goal for this year is to introduce mandatory home visits for teachers. The goal is to help students close the achievement gap. The connection between home visits and the closing of the achievement gap is based on the idea that if learners see that their teachers care about them even outside the school, they will focus more on their learning and be less likely to see school as an obstacle that they should just try to circumvent while they look to earn their living on the streets.

Social Significance of the Students’ Learning

Because one of the main goals of the school is to teach the students skills that can be applied in the real world, we focus on a number of areas: (a) developing a strong character and work ethic so that they students are ready and willing to meet obstacles positively and work to overcome them; (b) learning that prepares the minds to think critically and solve problems, and (c) technological skills that they can use in the digital age. Beyond that we cover the basics: reading, writing and arithmetic as these are the foundation of closing the achievement gap.

The Language of Discourse in Learning Situations

We celebrate diversity at our school and we are always mindful of being inclusive. All our subjects reflect this orientation, whether it is art, history, English, or science. Knowledge is always seen as something that is related to a value and is thus never really impartial. Our goal is to keep the language of discourse respectful and inclusive in learning situations.

Relationship of Parents and Community to the School

The role of parents in the education of children cannot be underestimated. If teachers are the educators setting the example in the school, parents are the educators setting the example in the home. Teachers and parents have to work together and be on the same page in order to provide students with consistency of example and continuity in their educative experience. The school strives to reflect the values of the…