My Teaching and Learning Philosophy
My philosophy of education is that all students are important and must have a rich educational environment where they can learn and improve their social-emotional well-being. It is my desire to create an atmosphere in the classroom where students can meet their full potential. I will provide a safe, engaging classroom environment where students can be themselves and share their ideas. I believe in three maxims that are essential for there to be learning in the classroom. (1) Relationships, Relevance, Rigor. (2) All means all. (3) Teachers are the weather.
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Relationships, Relevance, Rigor. Those three concepts are essential for learning to occur in the classroom. For me, the relationships I have with my students are very important. These relationships allow the students to feel connected to me as well as their peers, creating a comfortable learning atmosphere. At the beginning of the school year, I strive to quickly learn the names of my students and what matters to them. This, for me, is an important foundation that allows us to grow together as we continue the school year. Relationships are important, but they are not enough to deepen the learning in the classroom. It is important to also have relevance and rigor. What I teach in my class must be relevant academically, ensuring the outcome meets the targeted learning standards, and relevant culturally, where all my students are able to connect and understand what we are learning. This can be done in my English classroom by having culturally relevant novels and other resources that I can implement in my lessons. As for rigor, both my students and I must be dedicated to learning in our classroom, and thoroughly work through each task at hand to obtain the most knowledge possible.
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All means all. All my students are important, they all matter, and they all deserve the best education possible. I believe the best way my students can learn is by having equal representation in my lesson plans, activities, and resources. With such a growing rate of diversity in our schools, all students should be able to see themselves in the curriculum I am teaching. I believe equal representation can improve the engagement in class, retention of knowledge, and help develop student’s social and emotional understanding of themselves and each other. Students seeing more of themselves in the lessons I teach will make them feel heard and important, and seeing others different than them will build empathy. By highlighting diversity in my teaching, my students will be learning skills that will benefit them both inside and outside the classroom.
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Teachers are the weather. Whatever attitude I bring into the classroom, my students will absorb it. However I act about assignments or teaching, my students will base their actions off of mine. I have the opportunity to create and maintain a fun, safe, hardworking classroom environment. I can be the leader in the classroom who shows my students how to act and feel about learning. I can demonstrate respect, kindness, and flexibility towards my peers and others around me. I can show zeal, passion, and diligence towards my work and what we are doing in the classroom. I can come into class every day with a smile. These are the things I want my students to see, and the feelings I want them to absorb in my class. I have had the opportunity through my student teaching experience to be the weather for my classrooms and will continue to try to be a light for my students to learn from. To me, educators are not only teaching academic curriculum and standards, but the hidden curriculum that will benefit them as people in our society. These are the maxims I will follow as I continue my educational career. However, I will constantly be reflecting and adapting my beliefs and philosophies as I gain more experience and deepen my knowledge as an educator. My philosophies will always be centered around the ability for students to get the most out of their time learning in my classroom.