Teaching Philosophy
I believe that life is one long educational journey where we, as humans, have the opportunity to continuously grow and evolve. I believe the foundation of this journey really becomes developed within the childhood years of elementary school. It is within these years where students develop a sense of their identity, community, and interests. I believe that the role of schools play an important part in the development of a child’s knowledge, skills, and personality. As a future educator, I believe the role of a teacher has a direct impact on how a student views learning, not for the year in the classroom, but throughout that student’s life.
I believe that in order for me to be the best educator I can be, I need to challenge myself to become culturally responsive to all of my students. This requires me to continuously reflect on my implicit biases and understand the communities that my students come from, as well as, always seek to educate myself further on becoming more culturally responsive. I am committed to getting to know my future students and learning about who they are, both in and outside of the classroom. I think it is important to get to know the “whole student” by asking them questions, finding out their interests, and developing relationships with the families of my students. In order for me to achieve this goal, I want to make sure that I am in constant communication with the families of my students. By fostering relationships with the families of my students, this becomes a partnership in their child’s educational journey.
I believe that being a culturally responsive educator should also be reflected within the classroom environment. I want to ensure that my students feel safe to be their unique selves and I want our classroom to reflect my students as much as it reflects me. I want to develop a code of conduct within the classroom with my students, so that they are a part of developing the culture within the classroom. I want to celebrate my students’ work by creating space for their work to be displayed. I believe it is important to immerse the students in an environment that provides them access to as many literacy tools as possible, while not overwhelming them with too much stimulation. I want to ensure that all the needs of my students are met within the classroom, and I will be sure to provide those accommodations each year. I want provide an environment that embraces diversity and allows all who enter to feel included. I want my future classroom to be a space where all students can thrive.
I believe in Universal Design for Learning and providing access to the curriculum for all of my students. I believe in rigorous instruction that reaches each student where they are at within their educational journey, and providing scaffolds to ensure that all students are learning and developing their knowledge and skills. I want to provide curriculum in fun and engaging ways that appeal to all learning types. I think that project-based learning is a great tool to utilize within the classroom that allows students to collaborate and learn from one another, while demonstrating their skills creatively. By providing curriculum to my students through evidence-based practices, I know all students will be able to successfully develop their knowledge and skills while receiving the proper support to meet their individual needs.
I believe that assessment of student work and mindful feedback are crucial to the development of knowledge and skills within the classroom. In the development of my lessons, I will create multiple times for students to demonstrate their skills and I will utilize formative assessments to ensure that students are understanding the content. I will use these formative assessments to adjust my teaching methods as necessary to ensure all students are understanding what is being taught. Summative assessments will be used at the end of larger learning units but may take on many forms. I believe that assessment should go beyond a quiz or test, while those do have their place, and should be provided in many different ways. I believe that feedback of student work should be timely, effective, and individualized to each student. By providing specific and constructive feedback, students should be able to understand exactly what skills they need to focus on. Feedback should also be positive, allowing students to see which skills they are demonstrating correctly. By assessing student work throughout each day and providing them with effective feedback, I will be able to make sure my students are making progress in all content areas.
I believe that in order for me to be the best educator I can be, I need to always be evolving and improving upon my skills. It is important to me to stay up-to-date on new approaches to pedagogy and stay current on new evidence-based practices. Through my own personal development, I will become more culturally responsive and will be able to learn how to create more Universally Designed lessons, with my new skills, to further reach my students. My goal is to continuously hone my craft as a teacher and provide my students with the best education that I can provide.
My ultimate goal is for my students to enjoy learning. In order for this to be successful within my classroom, I need to make sure that I apply my aforementioned beliefs to how I approach teaching. I want my classroom to be an inclusive, safe space that reflects the diversity of my students. I want to provide my students with equitable, rigorous instruction that meets all of their needs. I want to be an advocate for my students and their families when necessary, and want to develop partnerships with them to enhance their educational experience. I want to be sure I am continuously developing my skills and learning how to become more culturally responsive. I look forward to my future as an educator and executing my teaching philosophy.