Educational Philosophy

I believe that school is a place that should be like a second home for students. Students spend the majority of their day in the classroom, which means, as a teacher, I have a huge responsibility to shape and create well-rounded and educated future members of society. It is my job to teach the students the facts and information that they will need to succeed in what ever their future holds. On top of that, I also need to teach them how to have good virtues such as responsibility, empathy, respect, and honesty.

In order to achieve well-rounded and educated children, I believe that classrooms should be student-centered. What this means is that the teacher takes a step back and allows the students to take control of their learning. There are many ways to achieve a student-centered classroom. In my room it means:

Students are seated in small groups to encourage teamwork, group work, and collaboration.
Students participate in flexible grouping centers that allow students to receive targeted instruction based on their individual levels and needs.
Students complete hands-on, discovery based explorations to learn and discover new ideas.
Students use creativity to show what they have learned through technology and projects.
Students have classroom responsibilities that help the room run smoothly.
Instruction and assessment in differentiated to allow each student to learn in their way, and show their learning in different ways.

I believe that through the use of technology I am better able to reach the current 21st century student. Technology can be incorporated through instruction, in discovery activities, for assessment and more. Technology should be easily accessible for students and should be explicitly taught as a 21st century skill.

All students should feel loved, cared for, and respected when they are in school. It is my job as their teacher to created an environment of safety, love, and learning.