There are a variety of different styles and philosophies that can be applied to education by teachers. The five basic philosophies are essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, social reconstruction, and existentialism. Each philosophy takes time to develop and is always changing. I don’t believe that there is one set philosophy but as a prospective teacher I think that both essentialism and social reconstruction fit well with my beliefs.

	Essentialism focuses mainly on the core curriculum which includes math, science, history, foreign language, and literature form. This allows students to spend more time on the basics, and discourages them from straying away to too many electives. Students have to master the required material before they can move on to higher levels of education. Essentialists also believe that the classroom should be focused around the teacher because it gives them more control of the pace of the class. Essentialist teachers use tests scores to determine a student’s success. Now that standardized testing is more popular than ever, a philosophy which focuses on that point is ideal. Essentialists believe that teachers should instill traditional American virtues such as respect for authority, perseverance, fidelity to duty, consideration for others, and practicality. In an essentialist’s classroom, the teacher would teach things such as The Pledge of Allegiance and The Bill of Rights. The students would learn about American heritage and how our country was founded. This aspect of the essentialism philosophy appeals to me because I think that these virtues are important and that they are slowly becoming less dominant in the classroom. 

	Social Reconstructionism encourages students to focus their studies and energies on alleviating pervasive social inequities, and reconstruct society into a new and more just social order. Reconstructionist educators focus on a curriculum that highlights social reform as the aim of education. They believe that systems must be changed to overcome oppression and improve human conditions. For social reconstructionists and critical theorists, curriculum focuses on student experience and taking social action on real problems, such as violence, hunger, international terrorism, inflation, and inequality. Students should be given opportunities to relate their learning and critical thinking skills to social challenges and problems outside of the classroom walls. Not only do students have the potential to make a difference within our society, they can grow as individuals in the process. This approach has the benefits of empowering students and building their self esteem and problem solving skills. In the classroom, many core curriculum concepts can be applied to social issues which allows for easier learning. Projects are more than an academic exercise; the class is engaged in a genuine effort to improve society. While some doubtless argue that it is not the teacher's place to instill a sense of social justice in their pupils, I believe it is an imperative goal because it’s an important issue which children should learn to be involved with early in their lives.

	Although Essentialism and Social Reconstructionism may not share the same exact views of education, I believe that they’re both essential to education, and can be tied together for a together to form a cohesive framework for learning.