Philosophy of Education
Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of becoming a teacher. As I get older and gain more experiences in the classroom my knowledge and beliefs concerning education have grown and my confidence has strengthened in my decision to become a teacher.
My ideal classroom is one that is safe and welcoming to students, parents, and everyone that may enter. It is a place where my students feel comfortable, important, accepted, and valued for all of their interests, thoughts and ideas by their peers and by me. I feel that it is important that in every classroom there is diversity and sharing among the students. Diversity has the power to contribute something special to the classroom. It can help to broaden horizons for the students as well as the teacher. Sharing is one of the most important daily activities in a classroom. In my classroom I encourage students to share and express themselves. I feel that it is essential for students to speak their mind and question when they have doubt.
As a teacher I realize how important it is to get to know your students as individuals as well as a class. Every student is different and has unique qualities. As a teacher I feel it is my job to become familiar with my students in every sense. I make a continuous effort to learn about their backgrounds, interests, strengths, and weaknesses as well as their dreams. Knowing my students helps me to plan my lessons accordingly, so that I can ignite interests in all my students, meet their needs, and learning styles.
The individual traits of my students are important but equally important is the dynamics of my class as a whole. In my classroom I feel that it is very important that the class works as a community. I want my classroom to be a community in which my students work and learn together. As a class we establish common goals and work together to achieve them.
Even though I have achieved my dream of becoming a teacher, I realize that my learning has not yet ended. I feel that learning is continuous. Each and everyday we learn not only from one another but, from ourselves. Every experience that we encounter in life conditions us to change our practices in order to better ourselves as individuals. As I teach I always reflect on my own practices and teaching strategies and continue to find ways to improve myself as a teacher. I also believe that the teacher is not the only one that teaches in a classroom, the students do too. A teacher can learn so much through his/her students. In my eyes it is always important for the teacher to listen to his/her students as well as the families.
I feel privileged to be able to teach the children of our future. To me each day of teaching is filled with excitement, challenges, new experiences, and most of all joy. There is no better experience than watching the face of a child light up when they learn something new or finally understand something that has been challenging. The best feeling is knowing that you are the reason they are smiling because you reached them and made them understand. I will never question my dream to teach because every time I look into a child's face I cannot help but think and feel in my heart that I am truly doing what I love to do.
