Philosophy of Education
Being a teacher is more than just standing in front of a classroom of students and facilitating their learning experience. It means that you wear many hats: you are a caretaker, a role model, a friend, a parent, a listener, an educator and much more. I feel that students, especially in the elementary ages, look up to their teachers for guidance. As a teacher I will provide a sense of security and enthusiasm to learn in my students. They will be intrigued by the topics we discuss and want to learn more about them. My classroom will be fun, educational, safe and fair to everyone.
All students have a right to an education and all students can learn. Children come into the classroom with many different needs and desires. Some students will require extra help and attention due to learning disabilities, some will have normal abilities, and others will require that they have extra stimulation due to higher abilities. The classroom is very diverse in many ways, the students abilities are just one. Students will come from many different backgrounds. I believe asking a child to explore their background and share it with the class will provide that student a better understanding of who they are and allow the rest of the class to learn about other cultures. With our world becoming more and more diverse, it is important for students to understand that everyone is unique in their own way and be exposed to these other cultures.
The classroom should be a fair environment for students. They should be aware of what the expectations are of them in regards to rules, learning, and behavior. In my classroom I will have input from the students to create classroom rules. By allowing the students to create some of the rules, they will have a better understanding of them and feel more of a sense of pride towards upholding them. Along with the rules, the students should also be aware of their consequences if the rules are broken. I feel it is very important to be consistent with consequences based on actions. The same action, no matter what student it is, should get the same consequence. It is only fair to all of the students that they are shown this sense of equality. Students in my class will know when they should be quiet and work independently, when they have the ability to talk and work together. They will learn to respect others when they are talking and respect what their fellow students are saying. Behaviors that are and are not accepted will be explained clearly to the students. By building a fair classroom environment, it will provide a safe setting as well for the students to learn and express themselves.
Children are our future, as a teacher it is important to foster their development. To be able to provide them with the educational experience that they deserve and that it is a positive experience for them. I will provide my students with information they need to succeed in society and be valuable members of their community.