My philosophy is built on the belief that education is an essential tool to creating change, inspiring ideas, and opening endless opportunities for students. This belief is deeply rooted in the passion that I have for creating accessible, meaningful educational opportunities for all learners through celebrating their unique backgrounds and abilities. My goal in becoming an educator is to cultivate growth and confidence within my students while giving them the tools and support needed to succeed within all aspects of their lives. Through genuine collaboration with students, their families, and the community as a whole, I aim to embrace the diversity of my students and provide instruction relevant to their needs. 

          Throughout my professional career so far, and through the mentorship of veteran educators, I recognize the importance of personable connections and collaboration, both with students and adults. Through my experience, I realize that the most effective learning for students comes through building mutual respect and genuine connection. By recognizing and embracing the unique personalities, interests, and needs of students, I cultivate a safe and inclusive classroom culture. This helps students to feel confident, explore creative outlooks on their learning, and embrace challenges. Furthermore, communication with parents and families helps to further create effective learning opportunities for students. It also allows me to further understand the unique backgrounds and needs of the students and community that I am serving. Additionally, collaboration with other educators, administrators, and service providers helps me develop further as an educator. Through these professional relationships, I can broaden my resources, strategies, and support for more effective instruction.

          My teaching style is focused on student-centered learning as the population I serve has individualized goals and needs. This is achieved through personalized instruction and differentiated opportunities for learning. Individual and whole group lessons are designed to align to students’ specific IEP goals as well as grade-level standards. Furthermore, classroom expectations are designed to be developmentally appropriate for students and provide relevant self-regulation and vocational skills. These teaching strategies are implemented to help students progress academically and achieve independence. Therefore, these learning opportunities are meaningful to students and accessible to their unique needs and abilities. 

          My hope in pursuing a career in education is to promote advocacy for the diverse learners that I serve. I aim to communicate through action to my students and their families that I am committed to keeping their best interests in mind. I hope that my actions as a teacher prepare and inspire my students as they continue through their educational career and beyond.