Educational Philosophy

                 An educator is defined as someone who provides instruction.  However, being an educator is so much more than simply providing instruction.  A true teacher of impact sees student needs and tries to meet them to the best of her abilities.  Teachers create a warm, welcoming classroom culture that promotes learning and acceptance among students.  Being a teacher means getting to know the students so that their needs can be met. 

           As an educator and true teacher of impact, I will help students discover their individual strengths and use those strengths to their advantage.  Each student has a unique set of strengths and weaknesses, I will strive to work towards those strengths and scaffold the weaknesses.  Every student also has goals and dreams.  I would like to help students set reasonable goals so that they can take steps to achieve their dreams.  To meet those goals, I will provide learning that is appropriate to them as an individual.  All of the learning for my students will be meaningful, as that is the best way to make sure that students are working towards their goals.

           To reach these goals, I will strive to use as much play-based learning as possible, especially in early education.  In older grades, I would switch play-based learning for inquiry learning and encourage the students to discover answers through a carefully crafted curriculum.  I will also strive to incorporate group work to benefit the students’ academic learning and building socio-emotional skills.  Most of my curriculum will be project based, so that the students have a greater opporitunity to explore the topic.  In my curriculum, I will use as much evidence-based practice as possible so that I ensure that my students are receiving the best possible instruction. 

           This type of curriculum and classroom culture should help my students to enjoy their education.  I believe that education should be as enjoyable as possible to create a culture of lifelong learning.  If the students enjoy learning, they will be more likely to meet their goals and continue to make progress in their education.  As a special educator, making learning enjoyable will help students to strive to learn to be as independent as possible in their lives to showcase what they have learned. 

           To assess my students, I will always have a rubric.  As I would like most of my curriculum to be project-based, this is the most organized and fair way to assess my students.  Having a project-based curriculum will really be able to show both growth and mastery.  Scoring on a rubric will be the most objective way to assess student work and help to eliminate any possible bias.

           To improve my teaching, I promise to promote a culture of learning by being a learner myself.  I will learn continually from my students and from my fellow teachers.  Attending professional development seminars and conventions will help me to keep up to date on the newest educational research.  Learning from professional development opportunities will help me to be able to include important new findings into my classroom. To be a true teacher of impact, I will maintain positive relationships with my students by listening to them and taking their feedback into consideration.  With my colleagues, I will be a reliable teammate and a good communicator.   Additionally, I will keep data on my class to assess where I could change as a teacher.  I will also allow the students to have input into my teaching so that they can help me inform my decisions in the classroom.  Allowing my students to give input will also help me to meet their needs to the best of my abilities.

           I chose to become an educator because I believe that every student deserves a chance to grow and learn.  If I cannot help a student make progress, I will collaborate with others in order to better my teaching and enhance student learning, or I will help the student get the support they need from another professional.  I promise never to give up on a student, I will always do my best to help them meet their goals.  

              To summarize, I believe in becoming a true teacher of impact.  I promise to be a lifelong learner so that I can model that example for my students.  I also believe in the power of knowing my students so that I can create the best plan for their success.  In my planning, I will strive to make engaging lessons that really get the students to think about the topic and gain a deep understanding.  Through this individualized content my students should have every chance for success, no matter what their struggles may be.