My Philosophy of Education
I think classroom management is one of the most important things for an educator to master in order to be effective. The idea of discipline is often defined as “making students behave,” but I choose to view it as teaching students how to behave, and I believe it is important to maintain students’ dignity in the process. Prevention is key, and the best way to prevent misbehavior is to engage students in motivating lessons in which they are interested and relate to real world problems. One of the best ways for me to deliver lessons that relate to my students is to get to know them and their interests. If students know that I, as their teacher, genuinely care about them, they will be more willing to engage in my classroom.
I believe that planning is critical in order to be an effective teacher, and it is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), or any standards, are a destination of sorts, and not a road map. They dictate skills that students must master upon completion of certain grades, but how a teacher chooses to get his or her students to mastery is an individual decision. I will be mindful of the standards in my planning, but I do not feel constrained by them because I understand that they are tools to help me get students where they need to be.
Every student learns differently and has various strengths and weaknesses, so they all bring something unique to the classroom. It is my job to not only differentiate my teaching so that all students can learn, but also to bring my classroom together as a group. I must teach my students how to work collaboratively so that they will be successful in their lives after high school. Since each class is a community, I understand the importance of teaching them about social justice issues through literature, so that they learn to see others’ points of view, and learn how to empathize with people different from themselves.
I believe students want and need high expectations set for them, values fostered, and parameters set so they can achieve those expectations, and respect from other students as well as from their teachers. I know that I must be reflective in my practice so that I can stay attuned to what my students want and need. I believe that it is my job to not just teach content knowledge, but to teach my students how to be good people. I believe I do this by modeling as well as through the discussions I facilitate based on the literature we read.
I believe that planning is critical in order to be an effective teacher, and it is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), or any standards, are a destination of sorts, and not a road map. They dictate skills that students must master upon completion of certain grades, but how a teacher chooses to get his or her students to mastery is an individual decision. I will be mindful of the standards in my planning, but I do not feel constrained by them because I understand that they are tools to help me get students where they need to be.
Every student learns differently and has various strengths and weaknesses, so they all bring something unique to the classroom. It is my job to not only differentiate my teaching so that all students can learn, but also to bring my classroom together as a group. I must teach my students how to work collaboratively so that they will be successful in their lives after high school. Since each class is a community, I understand the importance of teaching them about social justice issues through literature, so that they learn to see others’ points of view, and learn how to empathize with people different from themselves.
I believe students want and need high expectations set for them, values fostered, and parameters set so they can achieve those expectations, and respect from other students as well as from their teachers. I know that I must be reflective in my practice so that I can stay attuned to what my students want and need. I believe that it is my job to not just teach content knowledge, but to teach my students how to be good people. I believe I do this by modeling as well as through the discussions I facilitate based on the literature we read.