Teaching Philosophy
Aaron Hart stated “ As physical educators we are working on building skills, confidence and knowledge”. This quote resonated with me since I heard it because I feel it perfectly encapsulated my philosophy as a teacher. For me, teaching is about providing students with valuable skills, knowledge, a positive environment and most importantly fun.
I believe the most important thing students can learn is to understand they are uniquely themselves. Each student learns differently, excels in various activities and possesses different interests. For me, teaching is more than just providing students with information, it is about valuable skills, building a sense of self and most importantly a positive and enjoyable environment. I am motivated to create a classroom environment that all students are honored to be a part of. As a future educator, my goal is to change students' perceptions on physical education and show them it can be a place for everyone to blossom. I want to remove the stigma that only athletes excel in Physical Education. I aim to reveal to students that there is an opportunity for each of them to grow to be physically literate individuals.
Creating an inclusive classroom is a key component to my philosophy. When students feel welcomed and valued they are more willing to open up and try new things. I will stress all different teaching methods and assessment methods. I will provide students with various choices in activities or types of assessment that best suit their needs. My goal is for all students to look forward to my class and the community that is my PE class. My class will be a place where students uplift each other, encourage one another and aid in their peers' learning. They will recognize their peers' unique skills and how this is what makes up a successful, beneficial environment. Furthermore, I look forward to changing the way students view learning in all aspects. I believe that fun is a critical element of student learning. They are more engaged and motivated when they are doing something they enjoy. My classroom will be a fun filled, exhilarating, inclusive experience for all students.
Ultimately, my mission is to provide students with an enjoyable, enriching, and insightful class for my students. Watching students grow within themselves and their learning abilities is one of the greatest gifts of teaching. I aspire to make these statements a reality and change the stigma around Physical Education.
Coaching Philosophy
Coaching makes an impact on all athletes' lives. That's why coaching for me is all about an athletes' growth in all parts of life. To be more specific, I want to provide students with a meaningful experience where they socialize, learn and get to know themselves and others. I strive to emphasize personal growth over students' performance. I do not strive for perfection, I strive for progression.
I will aid in students' individual improvement and skill enhancement while also providing them with a positive environment. I want students to feel uplifted and empowered on and off the field. As a coach, I recognize that all athletes are different and provide my team with uniquely individual skills. I stress that my athletes recognize this as well and provide support to each other in the game and daily life.
I will teach athletes to be humble and grateful for the opportunities presented to them. They will begin to understand that winning isn't important but it's a combined effort to win that fulfills you the most. I feel that an athlete's experience is incredibly influential on their views on themself and their lives. As an athlete myself, I have had my fair share of coaches who nearly ruined sports as a whole for me due to their coaching style. I am not here to discredit other coaching styles but to provide insight into a real life experience.
This is why I strive to provide students with a safe space to learn, have fun and flourish. I want my athletes to walk away from their experience having an understanding of true synergy and what it means to be uniquely you. Through this philosophy students are successful in the four major points of the NYSED athletic framework, civility, citizenship, competence and character. The greatest gift in life is watching children grow and for that I am eternally grateful to have this opportunity.
Diversity Statement
Diversity is a key component in everyday life and shapes the world around us. From A young age I knew how important diversity was because diversity for me was my Grandparents. My grandparents are Italian immigrants from Bari, Italy. They were the first of their family to travel to America and make a life for themselves at 23 and 19 years of age.
When my grandparents began to start their family they did not know how to speak, read or write in english, They learned from their daughters homework. My grandmother has told me many stories about studying my mothers homework to learn how to write checks and letters. My grandmother is a true inspiration,she came here with nothing but her love and now has a big Italian family and a business. My grandfather worked as a manager for an airline, working long hours to support his family. He has since retired and loves to reminisce on his days of struggle to have someone translate Italian to English for him.
I call my grandparents Nonna and Nonno. This is grandma and grandpa in italian. We participate in many cultural family traditions such as sunday dinner, st joseph's day, the seven fish on christmas and more. These are cultural traditions that are unique to my family and our culture. My family has inspired me to be the hard working person I am today and has shaped me into dedicated, well rounded, strong women.
Diversity to me is how you are uniquely you. I aim to create a culture of care in my classroom where all students feel seen. Growing up in a diverse environment I learned that not everyone is going to have the same experiences as myself and this is what makes up the building blocks of what is “me”. I aim for my students to recognize this about themselves and others and educate themselves on different backgrounds. One way that diversity will be incorporated into my class is by having a World Cup Tournament. Students will all have different countries for their team in the world cup. These groups will be responsible to create a poster that includes all aspects of this country such as culture, traditions, food etc. The students will present this to class and everyone's poster will hang on the gymnasium walls. Through this activity students will learn about our diverse world.