Running head: PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW ANALYSIS 1 PAGE PAGE 9 PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW ANALYSIS
AbstractThis interview will provide an insight into the beliefs and foundations that has shaped the interviewee into the educator she is today. Her philosophy of education revealed how she feels about education. Just as an existentialist believes that all students should have some input in what they learn she also affirms that belief. Being a special education teacher behaviorism theory is crucial for students being successful in learning. The importance of diversity and multicultural in education aligns with her view points on critical theory. The interviewee has been an educator for 10 yea ...view middle of the document...
She attended a Junior College for a few semesters before dropping out to care for daughter. AJ did get her Associate and B.A Degrees later and worked in the legal field for twenty years. However, when her son was entering public school in middle school, AJ changed her career path and begin working as a substitute in high school with students with disabilities. AJ enjoyed working in education and she was offered a job as a special education teacher. Because AJ did not have a degree in education, she had to return to school to get her certification. She completed her certification and Master's Degree in Special Education. She also has a Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership. AJ is a mentor for young teenage girls at the local Boys and Girls Club, she was a Sunday school teacher at her church, and she is a former board member for WPYA. Although, AJ had no interest or desire in being in education God had a plan for her life. She recalls reading I Chronicles Chapter 4 and inside of Chapter 4 the 10th verse "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory……." God has indeed blessed and enlarged her territory. She is a blessing to students, parents and co-workers who have had an opportunity to build a relationship with her. She motivates and encourages everyone to always be the best they can be. Her famous line is "They can take away your clothes, your phone, your home, and car but they can never take away your 'education'; having an education is the key to success."Interview ReportDuring the interview AJ discussed several themes from different philosophers, theorists, and education. I chose to focus on Philosophy of Education, Existentialism, Behaviorism, and Critical Theory. AJ believe that all children should be educated, and that their completion of their education should in some way enhance society. Children should have some insight to religious indoctrination so they can know religious values at an early age. AJ's belief is aligned with Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it."AJ believes that education is just one route of acculturation of the young into society to be a part of the traditional life of a community. AJ accentuated that this acculturation happens casually through family, church, media, and peers. She stated that it is important for human beings and society to have some interaction. For AJ education is the key factor for our values. AJ stressed that education has shaped her view of human nature, and the world. It is very important to AJ that we discuss education in terms that everyone can relate to and not only in pedagogy, epistemology, and axiology. She would also like for educators to discuss the role of the teacher, the role of the student, the purpose of school, what curriculum is necessary for student's to be successful after high school, and why it is vital for all parents to...
