My Philosophy of Education
Why I teach?
I teach as I have a passion for fostering a love of learning and therefore creating life-long learners. I believe that every child is an individual with special needs, interests, abilities, and talents. It is the responsibility of every educator to recognize the individual qualities that precipitate the uniqueness of each child and to provide experiences that will allow the child to discover, define, and relate to their own personal surrounding environment. Every child can be a successful learner and it is the role of the educator to mentor and guide each and every student towards the path of their own personal success.
By the time I was a student in middle school, I had had many teachers that never developed a personal connection to me. Theirs was a disjoint in how they taught but never related to students they were teaching. I believe now that it was a symptom of the times. Most teachers did not develop relationships with their students. I struggled greatly with math and had to attend summer school. I was lucky that summer, as I finally had the experience of having a teacher that made every student feel like they were his only student. I was finally able to learn math as he made connections between math and life situations. He made me feel that he truly believed in me and that I could overcome my “math phobia”. From that moment on, I realized what a difference a teacher can make in the lives of the student’s they touch. I decided that I would be THAT teacher. I would strive to help other students fully reach their potential on the simple but necessary premise that, every child can learn, learning can be fun, and developing relationships with students is paramount to the enhancement of self-esteem which can be life changing for all learners.
What Do I Teach?
I teach children, children that have fully rounded personalities, children that are struggling to find the meaning of their lives and how to best make sense of their purpose on this earth. In other words, I teach teenagers; special needs teenagers.
As a special education teacher, I teach children that strive to navigate as well as to do their very best everyday as the pressure of our societal standards rain down upon them.
I teach life lessons, morals, how to best navigate social situations that may overwhelm them. I do incorporate lessons on reading, math, science as well as history that are aligned with the Common Core standards, but I consistently embrace all “teachable” moments within each day. We frequently veer “off topic” as one of the true perks of being a SPED teacher is not being tied to the constraints of a pacing chart.
I teach, yet I am one of the most avid learners within my classroom. Not one day goes by that I do not learn something of value from my students. I have learned patience, kindness, perseverance, and strength when faced with the insurmountable obstacles of life. As I learn from my students, I am able to best teach them what they are in need of most. We as a classroom community are all lifelong learners.
How Do I Teach?
I teach respect, first and foremost. Our classroom is presented as a community in which each student embraces the empowerment of their own personal learning through the guidance of the teacher. Each student feels that they are an integral, important part of that community. “We are ALL in this together!” is our class motto.
To instill a sense of respect and worthiness, I believe that as the teacher I must be firm and consistent yet fair in the decisions made for the benefit of optimum learning as well as the social growth of each student. I believe in maintaining a consistent positive reward system within our classroom. The students earn class dollars for good attitudes, good efforts, and for “caught being good”. They use these class dollars earned to purchase “cool stuff” at our bi-weekly class store. Store Mangers are chosen to serve as cashier/sales reps for the store.
Our classroom is a positive environment in which the students are free to develop to their fullest potential and one in which the development of positive self-perception is enhanced. I teach each student on their own personal instructional level, focusing on their individual needs. In OUR classroom, there is consistent utilization of “hands-on” activities that in effect create a sense of realia for the students. I want them to be able to make connections to what they learn in the classroom to the real world, enabling them to have the opportunity to design and direct their own personal learning path based on their interests and talents.
How Do I Measure Effectiveness?
The smiles and the happiness of my students within OUR classroom on a daily basis is the BEST indicator of my effectiveness as a teacher. I want to instill a sense of wonder, a sense of exploration, and a sense of determination to succeed within my students. When my students actively participate at all times, I have validation that I am reaching them. When I know that they feel free to ask questions, make mistakes, work outside of their comfort zones by accepting challenges that I know they once deemed too difficult, then I KNOW they are learning. OUR motto of accepting a challenge and not giving up is, “I can’t do this, YET!” “But I WILL!” We strive as individuals and classmates to, “Dream big, work hard and NEVER give up!
Of course, I utilize the standard measurement of effective teaching, which is assessment. Assessments guide me in measuring the progress my students are making or not and allows me the opportunity to adjust my teaching methods and or curriculum development by utilizing the data provided. An effective teacher uses more than one method(paper/pencil, technology use, and hands-on activities) to assess the progress of students and I strive to do this especially when measuring the reading and/or math levels of my students. Being an effective teacher should be the goal of every teacher as we strive to provide the BEST educational opportunities for our students each day!