Philosophy Statement

A vital importance of education is helping children build a love for learning. My goal is to spark my students creativity and curiosity. It is important that they have a strong desire to learn. I will encourage them to develop and strengthen various skills so they know how to learn, in addition to reaching the required content standards. This will encourage lifelong learners who are intrinsically motivated. I want my students to have self-determination and discipline so they can become independent learners. I also want to help them become metacognitive. It is important that they understand what they are learning and why. I will encourage reflection in order to review what they already know and extend their learning beyond the basic knowledge and comprehension levels. I will employ the theory of Blooms Taxonomy so my students can learn to apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate what they have learned. This higher-level thinking is vital for students to become effective citizens, critical thinkers, and problem solvers. In addition to following the ideas of Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues, I will create a warm, safe, and inviting environment that fosters physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. My classroom will be a community of learners, including myself, that consistently engages in social and collaborative learning. My students will know that I am a lifelong learner. I hope my students will appreciate that I am learning right along with them. I will design interactive and hands-on lesson plans and encourage teaching and learning that is explorative and open-ended. I aim to incorporate reading and writing across content, technology, and global awareness in order to keep up with the

global community. I will be a reflective teacher who continuously analyzes lessons and decisions so that I can constantly improve lesson plans and classroom management. I want to be a positive role model for my students. My goal is to reach every student and enable each child to succeed cognitively, emotionally, and physically. It is important that my students know that I care about them. In addition to being a positive influence, I will build a trusting relationship with children so they feel they can come to me with any problems or concerns. Every student in my class will feel special and important. My students will feel valued and know that they have touched my life and helped me learn many new things. I will highlight their strengths and use constructive criticism and effective language to encourage them to grow and build on their weaknesses. I believe that being a knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and caring teacher will help children become well-rounded productive members of society. My hope in entering the teaching profession is to help my students become lifelong learners and effective citizens, but also to learn from them so that I can continue growing and being reminded of the simple wonders of life.