My Philosophy of Education

As a teacher, it is my role to facilitate children’s learning. I firmly believe learning begins at home; therefore, I understand the importance of parent(s) involvement in their child's education, and I will work to foster that delicate relationship. Creating a community beyond the classroom is a great way to involve parents in their child's education. I will create opportunities to invite parents to join in student learning. 

I believe children learn best in a safe environment where their needs are met. Abraham Maslow developed a pyramid we refer to as the Hierarchy of Needs. This pyramid lists important needs in humans’ lives. If needs such as belonging, safety, self-esteem or psychological needs are not being met in a student’s life, learning becomes difficult. Thus, my objective as a teacher is to create a safe environment geared toward the individual needs of each of my students. 

Children’s learning can be quite unpredictable at times. This can be stressful for the educator, but it only further demands the importance of flexibility in instruction. In the classroom, students experience times where optimal learning may take place if, of course, the educator seizes the opportunity to cultivate the learning. This situation is referred to as the window of opportunity. This opportunity arises at different times for each student; therefore, flexibility is required in order to reach each student at the time of need. If the teacher does not take advantage of that opening for learning, it is lost. It is my mission as an educator to seek out the opportunities for learning and take hold of them when they present themselves.

 Furthermore, children learn in a variety of ways. For this reason, I believe it is vitally important that the educator teaches using a plethora of strategies targeting diverse learning styles. Seven of the diverse learning styles, determined by Howard Gardner, are visual, auditory, verbal, kinesthetic, mathematic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. My understanding of these different learning styles will better equip me to ensure my students are receiving assignments/materials in a way that is best geared to their way of learning. 

Education is a privilege, and I hold it to the utmost value. It is my belief that all students have their own set of unique gifts that, when nurtured, will help them develop into the best version of themselves. I teach the “whole” student not only to grow them educationally, but also emotionally through the teaching of empathy and other skills that will be used throughout their life. 

Finally, it is my hope that the creation of community, safety of the classroom, focus on the window of opportunity, attention to learning styles, and the nurturing of students’ gifts, will help my students be successful in all that they do!