Philosophy of Education
I firmly believe the purpose of education is to impact and develop students to be academically prepared as they progress and take their next steps in life. I want to impact students in a way that implements healthy life practices as well as acquire team skills that transcend beyond education. Physical education provides a valuable avenue to develop healthy habits and life skills that students can take beyond the classroom when they eventually move on to post-educational life. Students receive the opportunity in a PE classroom to take ownership in their learning and develop social/emotional skills as well as life lessons that they take with them beyond the PE classroom. I am pursuing a career in physical education because I want to make an impact on the next generation of students and implement habits that will better their life as they continue into adulthood.
Connections with students are an essential way to truly make a positive lasting impact on them throughout their educational experience. When I am in the PE classroom, I look for opportunities to make connections with individual students as well as the class as a whole. This is a lesson I learned early on in student teaching. During my first few weeks as a student teacher I experienced a convicting situation that reset my mind to what connections truly meant. During my second week I noticed one first grade student that was intentionally not following directions. It came to the point where my cooperating teacher took this student out to the hallway and talked to her. When my cooperating teacher returned, she mentioned that this particular student didn’t want to follow my directions because “she didn’t know me”. That was a convicting moment for me because I realized I had not done an effective job of truly connecting with my students. So, that day I took my lunch period and spent time with this student and getting to really get to know her. For the remaining time I was teaching at this placement my teacher-student connection grew with this student and it challenged me to connect intentionally with other students as well. Connections play a crucial part in building trust with students and letting them know that as a teacher I have their best interests at heart.
Another key part in education I have discovered is learning to acknowledge students when they display gifts and talents and then praising them for having the courage to display these talents. I was able to see this in real time during my student teaching placement. During my elementary school PE placement, I had the opportunity to institute skill challenges within our basketball unit. In these challenges various students were able to display their gifts and talents that they acquired for basketball. One of the most rewarding moments of this experience was when I saw those students who had displayed those gifts attempt to pass them onto their classmates. Several students who showed well above proficiency in the challenges took the time to help their classmates complete the challenges by displaying and teaching them their methods of honing in on these skills. Just by giving students opportunities to go through this process empowered them to become leaders in their own right and take ownership in their learning.
One of the greatest opportunities that a PE classroom represents is the opportunity for students to take ownership in their learning and be creative. I have continued to find ways to allow students to be creative and display their talents. During my elementary school placement, I gave students the opportunity to sit down and have input on their learning. At the conclusion of nearly every activity I sat down the class together and asked for their input on what they think should be added or taken away from each activity. This practice resulted in students coming up with creative ways to make the activity more engaging and fun for them and their classmates. I would then take the initiative and add their suggestions to their activities. These students would then see their suggestions added to the activity the very next day and take pride in the fact they came up with an effective idea. This practice is something I will continue because it allows students to take risks and be creative in building their own learning experiences in the PE classroom. I want students to feel freedom to be themselves and take risks in the PE classroom and this is just one practice I implement in order to do that.
One of the greatest opportunities I am able to take hold of is making an impact on the whole individual student in the classroom. I see Physical Education as an avenue that is not only teaching the skills and fitness levels to individuals but also the positive character traits that directly translate not only to their elementary school experience but beyond all the way into their middle school, high school, and working lives. Different team skills such as communication, collaboration, and problem solving are skills that are developed everyday in a PE classroom that have lifelong application into students’ lives. One of the great ways I have been able to continue teaching these skills is through different coaching opportunities. Through opportunities to coach at various levels I have been able to teach not only the fundamental skills of the sport but also the fundamental skills of life. Through coaching I am able to take advantage of more intentional opportunities in a different setting to teach and implement different life skills that will apply beyond the sport I coach. I believe it is part of my calling to make a direct impact on the next generation of students.
Overall, I believe it is the job in the education sector to create lifelong learners that are prepared both academically and socially to be upstanding citizens in society. I want to empower each of my students as they come into my classroom to be authentic, creative, and confident individuals that are always looking to grow in their own learning. Throughout their time in my class students will be comfortable to be who they are while also being challenged to push themselves further as they grow in their learning.