My Teaching Philosophy

I believe that it is my duty to inspire students to enjoy learning. My teaching philosophy centers on creating an inclusive, engaging, and adaptive learning environment that meets the diverse needs of all of my students. Not every student needs the same thing, and it's important to acknowledge that in a classroom. I believe that every child has a mind that can be unlocked, and I will use various learning techniques, such as those outlined in the Universal Design for Learning, to ensure that I am meeting the needs of each and every student. 

I believe that a rich educational experience is built equity, not equality. While equality is an important concept in life, equity is the guiding principal of special education. 

Equality is giving every student in a room the same work sheet, the same amount of time, and the same teaching method. Imagine that one of those students has a vision impairment and cannot make out the letters on the worksheet. Another student has dyslexia and cannot read the words on the worksheet in a way that makes sense to him. One of the students reads two grades below the material that is on the worksheet, but is capable of understanding the concept. The last student has a processing disability that makes processing written information extremely difficult, but he is capable of better understanding verbal information. It would be irresponsible of me to expect each of these student's to perform well on the worksheet I had given. 

Equity recognizes that students have diverse strengths and needs and provides individualized supports, accommodations, and instruction so each student can access the curriculum and content in a meaningful way. Imagine now that I give the student with vision impairment a large-print worksheet. I provide the student with dyslexia a highlighting tool, or remind him of the intervention strategies we have practiced. The student who reads two grade levels below the material is provided with a simplistic version of the worksheet, focusing on only the important words and information and leaving out the jargon. I simply read the worksheet aloud to the student who has trouble processing written information. Now, each student is at the same starting line. It is my duty and responsibility to make sure each of my students have equity. They have the same opportunity to obtain the same success.