I am a non-traditional student, and the experiences I have had as a parent and

as a student majoring in elementary education have blended together to craft my

philosophy of teaching. Being on both sides of the home-school partnership has
provided me a unique perspective that not all first year teachers begin with. I have
taken what I observe at home and have applied and integrated that into my
teaching and vice versa.
One of the most powerful relationships to establish is the student-teacher
relationship. This foundational connection helps drive every aspect of my teaching.
By knowing the students their backgrounds, learning styles, interests, strengths,
and struggles I better tailor my instruction to their needs and create more
engaging lessons that are relevant to their lives. To establish this relationship, I need
to be open with my students, within professional boundaries. When I am open,
students will reciprocate that transparency with me. I believe that showing students
I truly care through attentive listening, incorporating their ideas, and allowing them
reasonable influence over the day-to-day happenings within the classroom, will
produce mutual respect between the students and me. Through the bonds that I
strive to forge, I hope to foster a positive learning environment for them and
cultivate deeper learning experiences for all.
While the student-teacher relationships provide more specific direction for my
instruction, a few principal beliefs drive my preferred curriculum and pedagogy
within the classroom. I believe that the curriculum that I present the students must
be as unbiased as possible, representing all cultures and backgrounds in strong
ways. For students to truly desire to learn, they must identify with what is being
taught and find themselves in the lessons. This representation goes beyond just
cultural differences, it incorporates content area, as well. Not all students find their
strengths within the highly sanctioned areas of STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics), but rather within the areas of arts and physical
education. Conversely, I do not believe these content areas be exclusively taught,
but instead be integrated into a balanced curriculum which allows students to find
strengths within aspects of each lesson to better help them understand other areas
of struggle. Integration of multiple content areas will also provide relevancy and
context for students, assisting them to generalize the curriculum and utilize their
developing skills across content areas.

The pedagogy that I implement in my classroom is centered on being

interactive, hands-on, and engaging. Students learn best by doing, and it is
necessary to provide those opportunities as often as possible. Additionally, I believe
students require creative freedom in how they demonstrate their understanding of
the content they learn. While it is necessary to develop various foundational skills,
such as writing and verbal retelling, not every student is able to accurately
demonstrate understanding with the same level of proficiency within those skills.
Therefore, by including opportunities for students to demonstrate comprehension in
ways they feel confident, I can more effectively gauge the instruction levels for each
student. I also believe that academic choice is necessary for students to be more
fully engaged in the lessons, resulting in greater ownership of their own learning. As
a way to further the individualized learning atmosphere, small group instruction is
often employed for increased differentiation in order to teach at students
instruction level while still appropriately increasing the level of rigor as students
skills continue to grow.
I consider classroom management to be an integral aspect of the personal
responsibility that I scaffold into students overall learning. From the very beginning
of the school year, students should play a key role in the development of classroom
rules to ensure inclusion of their values in the way class is organized. When
students feel personally connected to the values held by the collective class, they
are more likely to abide by them. When a student breaks one of the rules, I use
logical consequences, as described by the Responsive Classroom, in order to
maintain students dignity and allow them to correct the behavior without shaming
them in the process. The consequences will match the severity of the offense,
illustrating to students that their choices matter. Similarly, respectable choices will
also be matched in consequence, as I believe firmly in positive reinforcement. As
students follow rules and uphold the class values, I am quick to affirm their
behavior.
It is my sincere belief that none of the aforementioned is possible to its full
potential without great leadership from administration. The principal-teacher
relationship is so vital to the school climate and, consequently, every aspect of dayto-day functions within the school. The importance of mutual respect and trust
between teachers and principals cannot be understated. Teachers need to believe in

the abilities, knowledge, leadership, and experience of their principals. Equally,

principals need to be supportive and trusting of their teachers to know what is best
for the students, who we know so personally. When a principal listens to teachers
and champions their ideas, teachers will reciprocally strive towards fruition of the
principals vision for the school and the students. The best environment for this
united front is one where the teacher agrees with the principals hopes and goals for
the school climate. Some of these goals that I believe are important are a strong
sense of family and community among all those within the walls of the school.
Feeling connect to one another keeps everyone invested in the success of each
individual, whether staff or students. The sense of community also fosters feelings
of belonging and, in turn, promotes greater willingness to come to school and learn.
Additionally, there needs to be flexibility to do what is best for students, both
individually and collectively. Leadership cannot be rigid, as teachers who do not feel
there is allowance for creative process, are not able to meet the needs of their
students. Education is not a one-size-fits-all process.
Developing partnerships with parents and the community helps completes the
necessary well-rounded support that teachers need to provide the greatest success
for each student. Communication with parents is essential to bridging the
misconceptions about home and school, alike. When teachers are able to share with
parents the struggles and successes of their student, parents are able to provide
additional support at home, and vice versa. I believe in providing an open door
policy for parents to contact me and visit the classroom to see firsthand the
progress of their student. Community partnerships provide for me a greater
understanding of what my students experience in their daily lives, and also a way to
get students involved through those connections. It is important to expose students
to aspects of the community with which they may not be as familiar, and involve
them in their surroundings to help them become productive members of society.
In conclusion, my philosophy of teaching is on a continuum that evolves as
the world, my experiences, and the needs of my students change. This statement
depicts what I have come to believe thus far, but I maintain an open mind. I strive
toward continually educating myself, expanding my experiences, and challenging
my own perceptions and ideas, in order to always be approachable and relatable to
my students and colleagues. I believe in providing the best learning environment for

my students, being a positive team member of the staff I join, and supporting the
vision of the leadership I am under.