Catherine Connell

Though I’ve only been on this earth for 20 years, I’ve learned a great deal—much of it through my experiences working with children. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the vital need for parents and teachers to work as a team. Far too often, I see a disconnect between the two, and the only ones who suffer are the children. I’ve also come to realize that every child is truly unique, and so is the way their brain works. What may work for one child may not work for another, and that’s completely okay. I believe children learn best when they have the opportunity to figure things out on their own. By the end of the school year, my goal is for my students to be as independent as possible. In a sense, I aim to work myself out of a job—empowering them to put on their own coats, tie their shoes, zip up their jackets, and even use the restroom independently. I also encourage them to solve conflicts with their peers on their own. When children feel confident in their abilities, they truly begin to thrive.

 In teaching, I have met many different types of people. I do not get along with all of the people I meet, but that cannot get in the way of my teaching. Having a negative bias against a parent or staff member causes tension that the children can sense. Because of this, avoiding prejudice and bias is very important. Open positive communication is very important in being a teacher. Since we are teaching children how to interact with each other, it is important that we practice what we preach. This is the case with emotional regulation and responses as well. I do my best to not assume anything about a student or family, as I do not know what they go through or have been through. Everyone is a human. Parents, teachers, students, everyone is human and deserves respect and decency. Keeping this in mind helps me avoid bias in my work. I go to trainings to help me further my knowledge on different lifestyles or dynamics in families so I can further avoid bias. 

To me, education is very personal. School should be a place that individuals learn about others, learn about themselves, and learn about the world. As an educator, my job is to guide children and help them be the best versions of themselves that they can be. Following a student centered classroom model is the best way for students to feel confident. When students are confident in their own capabilities, they thrive. If I as the teacher explain and do everything for the child, they are not learning to be independent in the world.  It is also the best way to truly understand each student's needs. Every student has a need, even if they do not show it. As a child, I was very quiet and rarely voiced my needs. I felt as if only the “troubled” kids received attention from my teachers. Now that I am an educator, I strive to make sure EVERY child feels seen. Existentialism is a key philosophy of mine as I believe that school should be a place for students to find meaning in the world, and more specifically, what the world means to THEM. The progressivism philosophy also aligns with my personal teaching philosophy. Life involves working with others. School is the first place that we learn how to interact with those outside our family. To be successful in life, we need to learn how to communicate with others. The progressivism philosophy also emphasizes learning by doing. I have a very strong belief that children learn through discovery. Exploring materials and toys to figure out how they work is vital to children's development. Again, if the teacher takes care of every need and the student becomes dependent on them, then they will be dependent as adults. To be a functioning member of society, we must be able to be independent and confident in our abilities. We must also learn to communicate, solve problems, and work with others. In life, there is not always a teacher or mediator we can go to to solve our issues.