Teaching Philosophy

My philosophy as a teacher centers on relationships.  Teachers must build solid relationships with students.  Students need to know that you care and that you see them as individuals in order to build trust and allow students to be open to learning.  Additionally, teachers must build relationships with families, colleagues, and the community because, for lack of a less cliche expression, it really does take a village.  No one person can do or know it all or be able to support every student on their own.  Teachers must make connections with others in order to meet the diverse and ever-changing needs of the students in their classrooms.  Teachers are simply members of a large team working together to support kids, helping them to learn and grow into good, successful people.

So, what does it take to build solid relationships with students?  I believe that teachers must demonstrate respect and consistency.  Students trust teachers who have predictable, consistent routines because I believe kids thrive in structured environments with adults they can count on to be there no matter what.  My students know my expectations and the routines in our classroom.  My students also know that I respect their opinions and ideas, I will be there to listen when they need me, and I will never give up on them.  In our class, it is okay to make mistakes.  It is okay to laugh at yourself.  It is okay to struggle.  They know these things because they know I respect them as human beings.

What does it take to build relationships with families, colleagues, and the community?  It takes effective communication, respect for and understanding of diversity, and a continuous desire to learn.  It is my responsibility as a teacher to communicate with families about student progress and what is going on in our classroom.  I believe it is also my responsibility to get to know the families of students in my classroom.  I want to know about their family structure, culture, language, and customs.  I want to learn from them; I want to know them.  

I truly believe that knowledge is powerful, which is why I continue to seek out new opportunities for learning.  Not only can this learning take place with families, in the classroom, and with colleagues, it also takes place during teacher reflection.  I must continually reflect on my practice and seek ways to improve.  The more I know, the more likely it is I can meet my students' needs, and if I don’t know it, then I have a whole community of educators to reach out to in order to learn what I need to learn.  It all circles back to relationships and communication.