Philosophy Statement

Passion is the word directly related to my chosen path as a teacher. In order to teach, I feel very strongly that one should teach only if they have the passion for doing so. Though I have an immense love for teaching; there are additional criteria I deem is necessary to fulfill teaching effectively and being passionate in doing so. It is not enough to just like children, it is not enough to just enjoy teaching subjects, and it is not enough to just be a mentor/leader. Liking children, enjoying teaching, and being a leader are just a few qualities of what makes for a successful classroom. Building rapport with families, being adaptive to inclusion, applying professional standards, respecting individual differences and backgrounds, and building a community is what fosters my passion for teaching. Communicating and building with the class, their families, and their backgrounds; understanding and tolerating the diversity a classroom brings to teaching; and leading children to be passionate about learning and respecting each other is the essential component to constructing a flourishing classroom community. Teachers have an unstoppable power force when working with children. Espousing effective leadership skills are essential for classroom control and gaining respect from children and their parents, as well as co-teachers, colleagues, and administrators. Creating a balance for the love of teaching, the power you bestow to children, and the nurturing and guidance you provide to them is what helps mold the classroom into a unique fertile environment. Within the year of each class a teacher has established the above community characteristics in; teachers should ideally cover all the standards for teaching any grade level. In order to meet this objective, it is imperative for teachers to make well-organized instructional decisions regarding time and discipline. One technique in using time more efficiently is to use

the interdisciplinary approach; this covers a multitude of standards from several subjects in a single lesson. This approach can be used whenever possible in the classroom. If, however, the subjects used in an interdisciplinary approach are not integrated in a significant manner the approach may be ineffective. That is, taking a subject such as music and applying it to learning about the alphabet, numbers, or history is a way of transferred learning and is interdisciplinary in nature. If it is not integrated in a meaningful way then it will not be valuable in the learning process. Combining subjects make for investigative and exploratory avenues of learning as well as incorporating two ideas used simultaneously to create a quality use of time. Including all students into the learning process is the foundation of students gaining knowledge and experience throughout their time in the classroom. I believe that students be given the chance to learn as a group and as individuals. It is necessary to take the time to adapt to students learning; because I am an advocate of inclusive classroom settings, I will differentiate instruction for students with disabilities. Activities will be modified so that students with and without disabilities have a fair chance to participate and learn from as classroom community members. What I have experienced thus far in teaching is that I make accommodations for nearly all the students I work with in some way or another, making me reflect that we are all in this lifelong learning process together, myself as a teacher included. Forming the big picture (the classroom community), and the ideas and achievement that shape it are the building blocks to creating an environment enriched by teaching. In this environment trust is a virtue as well as integrity and respect. Teaching is a responsibility; it is a balancing act, with some fragility. I feel very strongly that using time efficiently, creating inclusion of all diverse individuals to make up the learning environment as a whole, and being confident in my responsibility will only satisfy the standards set for teaching. In utilizing these

strengths of mine I can continue to grow as a passionate, powerful, and mindful teacher at any grade level with a variety of challenges that I may face. It is intriguing to me that all children are diverse; that the construction of a classroom will continue to change each year shape my learning, and best make use of my teaching styles. In many ways, a teacher who is passionate about teaching is also passionate about learning. They too, learn along with the children they teach. Learning is just as essential of a component for the classroom as teaching and the standards used to teach. We establish our guidelines for learning through our experiences of learning therefore, we must create these similar strategies in our teaching so that children receiving the knowledge we give them can then commence their own guidelines for learning. In this philosophy, it all comes full circle; it can be looked at through a lens to fully see the big picture and thought of as a committed community of learning. My philosophy on building a community would not be complete without the collaboration of the families I work with and the teachers I work next to. It is just as significant to have a solid consistent relationship to the parents of a child I teach. As I build rapport and trust with the child, I must do the same for the family involved. This creates a true sense of balance in building dynamic family/teacher relationships. The same must also go for co-workers and student teachers. The creation of community awareness and what we as the educators put forth is just as necessary. Without the team building of teachers in one classroom working together, a classroom could potentially be a madhouse, which in turn blocks the big picture into nothing but chaos. Instead of chaos, I choose cohesive structure and consistent routines. This works not only with the children of the classroom, but also the teachers and parents who make up the classroom population.

Implementing the techniques of what I have learned and applying them to be useful in the classroom include, but are not limited to structure, transfer of learning, time management, organization, and having an open mind and attitude. All of these elements leave room for growth. Continuing the venture of allowing professional standards to take place everyday in the classroom, along with the developed philosophy I as a teacher have created will aide to my success in the field of education. The philosophy I stand by in looking through the lens at the big picture and sculpting the passion I have for teaching are the key components to my future as a teacher.