Teaching Philosophy
A teacher is someone who inspires, motivates and guides others in their learning experience, yet continuously learns from and alongside their students as well. As a teacher, it is my goal to assist children in their learning experience by providing stimulating, hands-on activities that will engage students and allow them to construct their own meaningful understanding of concepts and ideas through personal experiences. It is my belief that challenging students to think and question the world around them is the key to unlocking the doors to true learning. As teachers, we must create interest and excitement in the classroom, by providing students with appealing and unusual materials and concepts as well as activities that focus on their varying interests.
It is also important that I create a classroom environment where children feel safe, comfortable, and are willing to share their ideas and take risks. I will work to ensure this environment by implementing classroom rules and routines, which will allow for structure and respect. I will also accomplish this by enforcing inquiry, exploration, classroom discussions, group work and a classroom mentality where every idea is valuable and worthy. I also believe that a classroom is not complete without the regular laugh that resonates from within it. Everyone needs to laugh and enjoy themselves and it is my opinion that learning begins with these elements. We must be engaged, excited and motivated to learn for real education to take place!
In addition, I am aware that children learn best in ways that vary from one another. As a child, I was often left behind because I was a visual, hands-on learner, but the majority of my teachers taught mainly from textbooks and failed to pair this with additional teaching strategies or techniques.This was a challenging situation for me; therefore, I strive to create a classroom environment that encourages the multiple intelligences. Each learner is important and each learner is different, therefore, within my classroom, I will use multiple teaching techniques and instructional strategies. I will, additionally, keep the classroom filled with many different types of materials and manipulatives to accommodate each child and their diverse learning styles, providing each of them with the opportunity to reach their full potential.
I am also aware of the different religions, cultures, and traditions that make up the multicultural society that we live in. I, therefore, strive to create an environment and lessons that integrate and celebrate this diversity, allowing children to see, understand, and respect others on a deeper level. No matter what race, creed, or religion, or whether one possesses a learning disability or not, it is my maxim that each child is a competent being. Everyone has potential and deserves to be respected, listened to and taught in ways that are beneficial to them. I, therefore, also believe in inclusion and differentiation. It is my opinion that these environments can be beneficial to everyone as each experience encountered allows one to expand as an individual. It will also allow each child to gain a larger respect and acceptance for difference, in a society that truly needs these kinds of values.
Lastly, a classroom is a small community of learners and it is my belief that parents should be brought into this community as well. Three-way communication, between teacher, students, and parents, is key, as it makes everyone aware of what is expected from each student. With this involvement, we can all work together towards successfully achieving and adapting the goals and objectives of each child.
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires
-William Arthur Ward
It is also important that I create a classroom environment where children feel safe, comfortable, and are willing to share their ideas and take risks. I will work to ensure this environment by implementing classroom rules and routines, which will allow for structure and respect. I will also accomplish this by enforcing inquiry, exploration, classroom discussions, group work and a classroom mentality where every idea is valuable and worthy. I also believe that a classroom is not complete without the regular laugh that resonates from within it. Everyone needs to laugh and enjoy themselves and it is my opinion that learning begins with these elements. We must be engaged, excited and motivated to learn for real education to take place!
In addition, I am aware that children learn best in ways that vary from one another. As a child, I was often left behind because I was a visual, hands-on learner, but the majority of my teachers taught mainly from textbooks and failed to pair this with additional teaching strategies or techniques.This was a challenging situation for me; therefore, I strive to create a classroom environment that encourages the multiple intelligences. Each learner is important and each learner is different, therefore, within my classroom, I will use multiple teaching techniques and instructional strategies. I will, additionally, keep the classroom filled with many different types of materials and manipulatives to accommodate each child and their diverse learning styles, providing each of them with the opportunity to reach their full potential.
I am also aware of the different religions, cultures, and traditions that make up the multicultural society that we live in. I, therefore, strive to create an environment and lessons that integrate and celebrate this diversity, allowing children to see, understand, and respect others on a deeper level. No matter what race, creed, or religion, or whether one possesses a learning disability or not, it is my maxim that each child is a competent being. Everyone has potential and deserves to be respected, listened to and taught in ways that are beneficial to them. I, therefore, also believe in inclusion and differentiation. It is my opinion that these environments can be beneficial to everyone as each experience encountered allows one to expand as an individual. It will also allow each child to gain a larger respect and acceptance for difference, in a society that truly needs these kinds of values.
Lastly, a classroom is a small community of learners and it is my belief that parents should be brought into this community as well. Three-way communication, between teacher, students, and parents, is key, as it makes everyone aware of what is expected from each student. With this involvement, we can all work together towards successfully achieving and adapting the goals and objectives of each child.
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires
-William Arthur Ward