Teaching Philosophy

Early in my education journey, I was inspired by the work of Rachel Kessler who wrote that effective educators are teachers who are fully present in their practice. I think it is essential to teach through the heart and allow your body language and emotions to relate to the content. As my journey continued I also became influenced by Parker Palmer because he explains the link between identity and integrity as an educator; effective teachers will teach through their selfhood rather than just through teaching methods. Furthermore, I believe it is important to use techniques in a classroom that will teach the whole child; these methods should be used alongside the willingness to make self and student discoveries. I think this is important because when you can relate to the content in which you are teaching, you are in tune with your identity and integrity, and therefore reach and connect to your students. Palmer has also influenced me to teach from a place of curiosity, hope, empathy, and honesty.

Parker Palmer further mentions that students should be introduced to a world larger than their own experiences and egos, a world that expands their personal boundaries; I believe this type of learning can be accomplished through inquiry-based teaching and learning and can contribute to teaching the whole child. In my view, students learn best when they are in control of their own learning, and I, therefore, like to include a sense of exploration in the classroom. Through inquiry and curricular integration, I think students will be most successful because they will be able to master new concepts by taking a multidisciplinary approach. I also believe that other environments can create rich and authentic learning opportunities where students can interact and observe the world around them. In addition to inquiry-based teaching and learning, I think it is essential to teach wellness in the classroom as a skill that students can use to further develop as a whole. The Zones of Regulation and Mindfulness are great tools to assist with this. In my view, physical education is a significant aspect of wellness, and each child has a right to 30 minutes of daily physical education (DPA). Therefore, I do not believe in taking away a gym period or recess time as a consequence or punishment.

Furthermore, I believe that it is an educator’s responsibility to collect accurate evidence for assessment and communicate clearly about students performance. I am confident that Assessment for Learning represents both duties because it is a process where students and educators get to communicate regularly about progress, and student grades are not only based on summative assessment scores. I believe that real time reporting to students and parents can assist the assessment communication process. Communication during the learning process influences definitive confirmation of student achievement because it allows the student to express to what they know and then determine where to go to reach success. I further believe that assessment for learning is considerate, respectful, and ethical because it is used to improve students’ understandings during the learning process, rather than judge competence at the end of it; in my view, students will value the learning process more if they do not feel their competence being judged. I also believe that including students within the assessment process can be beneficial to learning. This can be done through self and peer-reflection.

An inclusive learning community is the type of classroom environment I will strive to achieve. I think every student brings their individuality into the classroom and the uniqueness of each child will contribute to the learning community. I further believe bringing the community into the classroom by incorporating parent involvement is also extremely valuable to the learning process. I aspire for my classroom to be collaborative where students have the opportunity to learn from parents, one another, and experts in specific learning fields. Therefore, I aspire to be viewed as a partner in the learning process rather than the sole knowledge holder. My personal goal is to have students feel as though they belong and can be successful within my inclusive classroom. I believe that students want to find their voices, want to speak their voices, and want their voices to be heard; therefore, I want to give them the responsibility to find a voice to speak of significant things and give them opportunities to see their passions to live fulfilled lives. Furthermore, I would like to promote the ability to have a growth mindset because this will enable students to grow and become deeper learners by understanding the effort and perseverance needed to succeed. By promoting a growth mindset, students should realize that they are in control of their own abilities and success within the classroom.