My Teaching Philosophy

I believe in social constructivism and that education must progress with the times. If every teacher were to stubbornly cling to the philosophy that worked for them then no progress would ever be made in education, so I am very open to new ideas. I imagine my roles to be a motivator and a mediator to the fascinations of academic inquiry. I think the classroom should be an exciting venue, and occasionally a place to sing, dance, and be merry together as a class. An atmosphere that promotes play and collaboration is proven to be a more productive environment. The most important qualities Ive learned in growing up are confidence, patience, and a paradigmatic understanding of the complexities of life. My goal as a teacher is to model great confidence and patience. I aim to implicitly plant the seeds of paradigm thinking by offering comprehensive knowledge, and reiterating the values of patience and confidence that are important to me. I believe these values are there to be found with every student, in all subject matter, and in both reality and fiction. I want to offer my students a chance to get to know themselves and their own values through working hard and expanding their imagination. I believe I can offer them the keys to freedom of the mind and body through their own creativity, and the skills to help them master their lifelong journey by encouraging them to learn everyday in it. I believe in extrinsic reinforcements (rewards and prizes) to get students initially interested, but my goal will always be to shift their motivation inwards. One

idea Id like to try to help them achieve intrinsic motivation is to have students make concrete goals each week, and then make a goal playlist to go with their goals every Monday in class. This will help them to see their goals in a more inspired light, and hear what their success might sound like at the end of the week. Theyll be given twenty minutes to choose three songs; then ten minutes to journal why they picked these songs, what their weekly goals are, and how the music might help inspire them to achieve these goals this week. They could use the playlist to stay focused on their goal, or if they arent the type of learner that can focus while listening to music, they can use the tunes as a study break when they are feeling tired or apathetic. At the end of each week, I will choose one student who will get to present a song from their playlist to the class, and talk about its meaning to them and how it may have helped them through the week. This will be an attempt to use music a positive force; connecting it to something meaningful in their lives. I will never use the word lazy around my students. I feel that labeling children invokes unnecessary negativity, and I dont believe anyone is inherently lazy, or a troublemaker. I will always encourage my class to restrain from that behavior, but I dont believe it is my place as a teacher to do any name-calling or punishing; I am an advocate for students and their potential individual value, therefore I will NEVER tell them what they are, or how they ought to be. Unless they are purposefully putting themselves or others at risk, I believe children deserve the benefit of the doubt, and the freedom to think for themselves. I will give most homework in the style of take-home assessments. Before the end of a unit, I will hand out a study guide and ask them to make flash-cards for

vocabulary words and terms that they can use to quiz each other in groups. Interactive group review games like Jeopardy or Family Feud will be a tool Id like to use to instill subject matter to students in order for them to experience success on formal assessments. I will challenge students to push the limits of their abilities and their preconceived notions. I also would like to propel their world view and analytical thinking by connecting whatever piece of writing or era in history we are studying, to something that is happening in their life or the modern world. I will encourage a healthy balance of creative self-reflection and useful application of skills. I want to challenge students to always be looking for a problem to solve, or a real life purpose that they can connect with. I want my students to see that everything is connected, and that every important decision weve made in the past is still influencing our future. In regards to English, I want my students to be able to communicate their thoughts intelligibly by being able to speak and write with clarity and style. Creative writing will be important to me no matter what subject I teach. Id like to explore classic novels like The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath but more importantly, introduce them to youth literature like The Outsiders, Catcher in the Rye, or Maniac Magee, which will help them ask and answer important questions about the way of the world and growing up. I believe music, the arts, and writing are crucial for the development of all children, especially those going through the transformational time of Middle School. I will encourage students to use art and creativity to express their personal views

and values, and I will show them how their artwork can be an avenue to explore the possibilities of a better world. I will make sure each student feels inspired to consider important ideas and discuss relevant issues with each other in a healthy way. I want them to realize and be inspired by the fact that they are currently all on the boat of life together. I will plan my lessons so that students may find common ground in the subject matter. These lessons will require that they learn to respect one another as individuals. I hope this will challenge them in a way that they come to understand the benefits of. Lastly, I will always give students the same respect that I expect from them. I trust that I can guide them in becoming uniquely innovative members of an empathetic generation with hope for the future.