II. Philosophy

I believe that education is not a one size fit all. Not every child learns in the same way which is why differentiating instruction is very important. I am a strong believer in Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligence. In my classroom, there are visual learners, musical learners, kinesthetic learners, logical learners and linguistic learners, so to ensure that every student has an equal opportunity to learn I incorporate all learning styles when teaching. In my classroom, I play songs, include pictures in lessons, have students perform plays and many more. I found that students are very engaged with this type of learning.

As a teacher, I have many roles. My first role is to teach. I believe that a teacher should be a facilitator of learning rather than control everything in the classroom. Having a student-centered classroom allows me to share decision-making with my students. When students have some control over their own learning, they have less time to misbehave. Student-centered learning brings students to life in the classroom. Student-centered learning allows diverse students to work together in groups, improve communication skills and higher students' self-esteem. In my classroom, I have students work in groups. When doing science experience, I allow students to explore and find the answers to our questions instead of me providing them the answer right away. Allowing students to explore is essential. As a facilitator, it is important that I not only evaluate my students' learning, but also evaluate myself and reflect on my performance.

I also believe that it's important to have a strong relationship with students and parents. A powerful quote I have read is "Teachers must win their students' hearts while getting inside their students' heads." I try to win my students' hearts by having personal interactions with them. Having a positive classroom environment where students are comfortable coming to me to talk about their feelings or concerns is important. Whenever I see students down or crying I pull them to the side and we have a conversation. I will be there to listen to my students and try to help them to the best of my ability. Having a healthy parent-teacher relationship is also essential. To have a healthy relationship with parents, I try to provide updates of students' activities in the classroom through Class Dojo and contact parents when students are doing good or bad. I don't only contact them when students are misbehaving because I don't want there to be a negative relationship.

Finally, we live in a world of technology, so I believe that incorporating technology in the classroom plays a huge role in students' success. Students could use computers to search for information, post assignment, make presentations and do a lot more. Technology provides a lot of different resources for students and teachers. Through the use of technology, teachers can differentiate instructions.