My Educational Philosophy

    Elementary education sets an important foundation for all levels of education that follow. It involves providing children with basic skills and fundamentals that they will continue to use and apply as they continue through their education. This is also the time when children develop their personal attitudes towards learning. It is important that elementary teachers realize their significant role to their new, young learners.

I believe that learning is an on-going process that involves gaining new knowledge that changes the way one behaves or thinks. In young children, almost anything can become a learning experience. Often times, children are learning and do not even realize it. As an educator, my goal is to make connections between children’s everyday lives and what they are learning in my classroom. Not only will I use the curriculum to bring knowledge to my students, but my classroom will be a place where students learn about things that are meaningful and intriguing to them, will learn about one another and will learn respect for one another.

    My role as the teacher is to guide my students towards thinking processes that will allow them to find their own answers to their questions. By providing a rich environment composed of supplemental materials and resources, hands-on experiments and practical activities and projects, students will learn by actually doing.  Providing students access to hands-on activities and allowing adequate time and space to use materials that reinforce the lesson being studied creates an opportunity for individual discovery and construction of knowledge to occur.

    As a teacher it is not only important to me that my students understand the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ behind their work, but it is also important to me that the students see the relevance of their work and feel a personal connection to what they are learning. All children can learn, but my goal is to have my students excited about walking into the classroom everyday and be excited about what they will learn next. Developing a curriculum around student interests leads to intrinsic motivation and stimulates the passion to learn. One way to take learning in a direction relevant to student interest is to invite student dialogue about the lessons and units of study in the beginning of the year or grading quarter. Given the opportunity for input, students not only become more invested in their learning, but they become excited and feel connected to the material. A higher interest in learning leads to a greater motivation to work hard and to achieve. It is this motivation that provides for authentic and rich education.

    All students have unique personalities, unique ways of learning, and unique ways of expressing themselves. My goal is to be able to provide all of my students with meaningful interactions with their peers, environment, and myself. My classroom will be a place where students will always feel comfortable enough to explore new ideas, be creative and question without ridicule. In our very diverse society, it is important that students learn to accept and embrace differences. In my classroom, this skill will be built by creating a warm, safe classroom environment, where everyone’s differences are celebrated. I am firm believer that learning can only take place in a setting that it is inviting and comfortable, especially for children of such a young age.