Jackelyn Mejia

Professor Peters
ECC 300
May 3. 2019

My Teaching Philosophy

Creating an environment that is safe and stimulating for the developmental growth of a

child is extremely important. Thinking carefully of creating the classroom culture and a

curriculum that will support the individual child and as a whole class. Graduating from high

school and starting college was a tough transition for me. I have always known that I wanted to

be an early childhood or special education educator but for some reason that always felt far away

from my reality. Prior to starting college, I always scored well on my exams and in my classes,

that when I started college I felt that it would be the same results.  My first semester, the grades

were not the grades that I would have liked but they were the ones I deserved. The summer

following my first year in college, I worked as a summer camp counselor for children ages 3-5.

Being with these kid’s half of my day, getting to know each of them and their different

personalities and how much they taught me to grow as a person inspired me to keep following

what I have always wanted to do. It took me three semesters, a lot of studying and hard work to

be qualified to apply to the education program. Although I felt I was too late there was always a

positive feeling that I should try anyway.

I decided to come into the field of education because I would like to understand how

children’s develop and how an educator as well as their environmental factors can have such an

influence in the child’s future. I would like to show them that they have so much potential and

the world is full of open doors as long as you keep searching, asking questions, being curious

and never giving up regardless of age, time, environment or situation. Although this sounds like a
difficult task for pre-k, kindergarten, or first grade, I believe that anyone especially a child

always needs to know that they also have a voice. Being a child facilitator helps children gain

experience to the point that they will not need a facilitation, they will already know what to do.

Listening carefully to what children mention responding to students by paraphrasing each child’s

thoughts and getting to know the children in your classroom and their individual needs will help

discover their true potential.

The teacher that I would like to become, is influenced by teachers that have had a positive affect

and encouraged me to follow my dreams. I would like to make a difference by giving my

students love and attention. Always encouraging them to do their best and to try hard. I would

like to care for them as if they were my own by listening to what they have to say and

acknowledging their actions. A classroom “in which the individual needs of each student are

considered, including their own unique personalities and temperaments. The aim is to educate the

whole child, “head,” “heart,” and “hands,” with an appropriate balance of academics, art,

movement, and spirituality” (Christensen, 2007). I plan on doing this by creating a play-based

environment that encourages interaction between my students for social and emotional

development. As well as encourage my class activities to be parent-child based according to

evidence “in a classroom culture that honors and encourages strong connections, even very

young children will demonstrate their abilities to empathize and negotiate relationships” (Curtis

& Carter, 2017. p. 31). This is the age that is most crucial for the development of a child and

being on the same page as the parents and emphasizing on student’s interactions to benefit the

child would be an essential part of my teaching philosophy.

My teaching philosophy and curriculum is also influenced by two different

philosophies, it will have elements from the Montessori and Waldof principles. The

Montessori elements will play a part in my classroom as well as in the curriculum. My

classroom will be an environment that is equipped with a variety of resources,

“materials that are open ended and can be transformed have the power to call on

children’s internal resources, experiences and imagination in multiple ways for

multiple purposes (Curtis & Carter, 2017. p. 63)”, that will help stimulate the children

and encourage curiosity, self-confidence and independence. The Waldorf education

principles will take a role in my curriculum “balancing academic, artistic and

practical activities to stimulate the imagination” (Debroah & Rupa & Saira, 2019).

Using different forms of play to help children learn different lessons by using

techniques as in rhythm, movement, songs, and music.

The classroom will be filled with materials that support early childhood literacy. Literacy is very

important from the moment a child is born, exposing them to materials, oral language and

information that can assist the child to become a successful reader. Communication is not only

verbal it can also be interpreted by using the nonverbal language of facial expressions, body

posture, and gestures. Literacy takes place with experiences and oral language interactions. How

parents and teachers respond to the infant or toddlers attempts to communicate influences how

well that child communicates.This will be demonstrated in my classroom by having a diversity

of books about diverse subjects, as well as having labels of print all over the classroom in the

primary language as well as other languages to fit to the needs of my students. Providing children

with multicultural book, print awareness and enhancing vocabulary by oral language, children
need to learn how to actively, purposefully learn vocabulary (Blacho- wicz, Beyersdorfer, &

Fisher 2006).

My desired classroom is a classroom that my students can walk in and see the diversity of

their peers from different backgrounds, cultures, dolls and in the books that are provided to them.

This is important to me because it shows them a bit of the world and them being able to interact

with each other and not feel that the other person is different because of things they heard at

home or on TV, being able to see that they are the same is a very valuable lesson. In conclusion, I

prioritize and value social-emotional, physical and cognitive learning in a play-based classroom

environment for early childhood education, it teaches children to become a friend, and the

importance being able to distribute responsibilities’ and interact with each other. I will prepare

the environment with all the materials that will help stimulate the child and encourage them to be

curious and to explore the potential that they can reach. I will make it my duty to expose the

children to different experiences and challenges that can help them find what works for them.

My classroom will balance every academic learning activity with play always focusing on the

children’s individual needs. With my teacher philosophy, I hope that my students leave my

classroom knowing the importance of always treating others in a fair way and finding different

ways to find a solution. I hope that I project love, encouragement, and encourage play based

learning because I believe that everything that they interact with has a reason behind it, and I will

be there to explain and expand their knowledge in their academic play-based activities

surrounded with early childhood literacy components.

 REFERENCES

Blachowicz, C.L.Z., J. Beyersdorfer, & P. Fisher. 2006. “Vocabulary Development and Tech- nology:
Teaching and Transformation.” In International Handbook of Literacy and Tech- nology: Volume II,
eds. M.C. McKenna, L.D. Labbo, R.D. Kieffer, & D. Reinking, 341–48. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Christensen, G. (2012, August 01). Waldorf Education: Four Successes and Four Failures.
Retrieved from https://www.education.com/magazine/article/waldorf-education-
successes-failures/

Curtis, D., Carter, M., & Curtis, D. (2017). Learning together with young children: A curriculum
framework for reflective teachers. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.