My Philosophy

As a teacher, my role is to provide a safe, welcoming environment for students to learn. It is important for learning to take place in an environment that students are not only free to be themselves, but free to make mistakes. This way, mistakes happen in a safe, forgiving environment where students can learn from them before they have to learn those lessons in the real world.

In order for students to learn, they must be involved in their own education. The best learning happens when it is cooperative and collaborative in nature, letting students learn from each other and become more actively engaged in their learning. I plan to take into account my students’ interests and learning styles as I teach, as well as provide students with multiple means of demonstrating their learning.

Because I recognize my role as a teacher is to prepare students for society, music and art provide an means to improve social and emotional skills, thus improving quality of life. Music and art education is important, not only for the marketable skills it teaches such as; creativity, discipline, flexibility, and the ability to cooperatively with others, but also because it simply makes life more enjoyable (Lehman). We must allow students to find ways to access and express their creative potential for their own sake.

I will engage students in activities that require them to be creative, disciplined, flexible, and work cooperatively with others. I must also help them explore the emotions that various songs or types of music and art brings them and help them learn to articulate what they feel and why. Lastly, my role is to educate students about other cultures so that they learn to see the world through another’s eyes and can appreciate other ways of thinking and living.