The purpose of education is to give students a place to interact with others while being guided to make the right decisions. Besides just learning academics that will help them navigate society, they should also be doing social emotional learning which will benefit them as they make new relationships at school. In my math class students will learn how to problems solve not only by themselves, but with their peers as well. Problem solving is something that is done on a day-to-day basis and can help them in countless ways outside of the classroom. The reason I chose education was because in my years of schooling, I had a lot of inspirational teachers. They changed how I thought about school, and life in general, for the better. I want to be able to show my students just how much power they have in the world just by being themselves. I hope to provide them life lessons that they might not get elsewhere in their lives.
The first way I plan to enact my philosophy of education into my classroom is by having math related games for the students to play. Games will be played in groups and after solving a set of questions, teams will be able to come up and complete some sort of fun task, like tossing a ball in a basket, to earn points. These kinds of game are motivating and group oriented. Another way is by explaining the use of math in the real world. Teaching how math is used in different careers like plumbing, storm chasing, water slide construction, etc. can help the students understand why the math is necessary instead of just learning random formulas and concepts. In my classroom, students should expect me to be there for them. One way of doing that is being available after school, during homeroom, and over email to answer and help them with any math questions they have. As a math teacher you need to expect that your students will not always fully understand what you teach them. It is my job to explain to them how the math works and to keep working with them until they grasp the concept completely. Not only will I be there for them with math help, but I will also be there to listen to what is going on in their life and try to help them any way I can. I know how difficult high school can be, and I want to be there for my students during rough times in their lives because I remember how appreciative I was of my teachers when they were there for me. In order for me to grow to become the best teacher I can be I interviewed and was accepted into the Golden Apple Scholars program where I will receive extra education classes from some of the most qualified teachers in the state. Along with the classes I also get more observation time over the summer where I will be guided by those same teachers who will help me better connect with the students and create good opportunities to practice my craft of educating. To go with Golden Apple, I also plan to get my master’s degree within my first five or six years of teaching.
Something I expect of my students is to ask questions. In math class, asking questions when you are confused is vital because math builds off of previous concepts. If there is something you do not understand, it is likely that you will not understanding what is coming up next. I also expect homework to be completed. I do not plan to give out a huge amount of homework, but when I do it should be done. Practicing the concepts learned in the classroom is important for kids to fully grasp how the math works and how to apply it. Obviously not every student will complete their homework every time, but I want them to know that homework is not just busy work. My students will know what I expect of them because I will make my course expectations present in multiple ways. One way is by having a syllabus which I will go through on the first couple days of school. I will also have a weekly schedule filled out on the board which will contain what we will go over in class each day and what the homework will be for that week. This schedule will also remind them of upcoming quizzes and tests. Students will also be encouraged often to come in for one-on-one time to go over questions they might have about the class/classwork. I want my students to understand that math can be fun and rewarding. Being able to problem solve through difficult questions and fully understand the concept at hand are big achievements that they should be proud of. I also want them to know that anything they want from this world is possible. There are a lot of things that seem out of reach from what we are capable of, but everything we can do now stems from consistent practice and repetition. There is nothing you cannot do if you put in the work.