Philosophy

The word "education" is derived from the Latin word educatio, which means "a bringing up" or a "rearing." Note, this definition does not say anything about memorizing a formula but is instead focused on raising an individual. For this reason and numerous more, my philosophy of education revolves around educating the whole child. Often times, in secondary classrooms the focus is only on the specific content area. Although this should be the main focus because state standards and accountability are important, I am a firm believer that it should not be the only one. Instead, I affirm that both the social-emotional and cognitive aspect of a learner's development should be addressed in the classroom. By implementing this approach all aspects of children's development are accounted for. Therefore, by the time students graduate they are well-rounded individuals capable of navigating the world around them.

In order to achieve this whole child philosophy of teaching, I believe a student-centered instructional classroom approach needs to be implemented. This process involves several components: learning environment, positive relationships, and differentiation of instruction. First off, students must have a safe and comfortable learning environment where they feel encouraged to express their ideas, opinions, understandings, and so on without fear of retribution by fellow students or the educator. A student-centered environment can be promoted through little things such as decorations, desk arrangements, classroom policies, and so on. Secondly, communication is key to any relationship, especially in education. Creating healthy relationships between teacher-student, teacher-families, and student-student promotes mutual respect and responsibility in the classroom that empowers all stakeholders. When we treat others the way we want to be treated, everyone wins. Lastly, to achieve a student-centered classroom that teaches the whole child, educators must be able to differentiate their instruction to meet students' needs. This means getting to know the students and how they learn (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.). By knowing how students learn, classrooms can be personalized around students to target weaknesses and further empower their strengths.

Overall, my goal as an educator is to enlighten students' lives through a student-centered classroom that addresses all aspects of their development. Although there are countless ways to achieve this, the basic foundation of this ideology is based on a safe learning environment, positive relationships that promote respect and responsibility, and differentiation of instruction to meet students' needs. A successful educator can achieve this by using best practices to provide students with exceptional academic and life experiences, as content alone is not enough. All in all, if we as educators want our students to enter the world as well-rounded individuals capable of thriving in any environment then we must ensure that all their needs are met, because if we do not meet them in the classroom, who will? After all, the wise words of Henry Adams remind us that, "a teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."

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