Philosophy of Teaching
When I think about my philosophy of teaching I think of my multiple experiences with teachers. What did I wish they did and what did I think was useful for me? I want to take my experiences and compile a teaching style that encompasses all that kept me engaged and try to eliminate those things which left me confused and in the dark. I want my students to succeed, but I want them to realize that failure is only a motivator to try harder. The world isn’t going to give them everything they want and isn’t going to make everything easy for them and I think as a teacher I want to help them prepare for those realities.
Standard 1
Teachers demonstrate leadership.
When it comes to leadership in my classroom I like to do a lot of reinforcement in a variety of ways. My biggest thing is to be understanding of where a student is coming from and the reasons behind their misbehavior. For example, I have noticed that sometimes students will be talking to one another (a typical sign of misbehavior in classrooms) but they are actually trying to help the student understand a topic. I think another thing is to be consistent and always follow through with a threat. My student teaching class thought they could run all over me when I first stepped into the classroom but quickly realized that wasn’t a good idea when I started making threats and following through with them. I also like to incorporate silent discipline such as taking a book off a child’s head as they are balancing it as a way of saying “Do you really need to be doing that?” silently.
Standard 2
Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students.
I think a keyword with this standard is classroom climate. The way in which classroom climate is created and upheld is by modeling and swift reinforcement of unacceptable behavior. If a student sees that you show favoritism to another student they are going to think this is acceptable to do to others. If a teacher sees that a student is being excluded from a group of students, the teacher needs to do quick reinforcing of appropriate behavior. As cliché as it sounds the old saying “Treat others the way you want to be treated” holds very true in this situation. Students need to be able to see through other people’s eyes. Another way to make students respectful of differences in people is through constant social studies integration and through charitable acts.
Standard 3
Teachers know the content they teach.
I think a big thing with this is integration of a variety of teaching methods and knowing how best your students learn. I know that when I was in school, a frustrating thing was being taught how to do something and if you didn’t get it, then too bad. I think that all children are different in looks and personality, so of course, it would make sense, that they would learn differently too. Another thing that frustrated me about teachers was when you asked them a question they would go all around the question but never actually answered the question. So, part of knowing the content you teach is to know how to answer any questions that may arise. Now granted, nobody knows everything and sometimes a teacher may not know the answer immediately they should try to acquire the answer instead of just pushing the question by the wayside. This shows that you value the students question and that we as teachers are still learners.
Standard 4
Teachers facilitate learning for their students.
This is the heart of effective teaching, making your instruction relevant and fun for your students. This is where students learn to collaborate with each other and the teacher. I want to create a place where students feel welcome, where they feel challenged yet capable. I want my students to realize that their time in school is not to learn remedial things what will not be necessary later on, but to prepare themselves to be efficient members of society. I want my students to be able to see through other’s eyes and to do everything they can to help others when they need it, to not be selfish and to realize that technology is a wonderful tool but is not to be used as a crutch.
Standard 5
Teachers reflect on their practice.
I tend to be a very self-critical person. I think that the majority of the time I tend to focus on the things that didn’t work. I want to be able to praise myself for the things that I did right rather than beating myself up for the things I did wrong. I want to continuously remind myself and my classmates that life is a chance to continuously try and get better. We should never feel or be stagnate but keep pushing forward always. We can always improve ourselves and I think that is something important I want to implement to my students.
When I think about my philosophy of teaching I think of my multiple experiences with teachers. What did I wish they did and what did I think was useful for me? I want to take my experiences and compile a teaching style that encompasses all that kept me engaged and try to eliminate those things which left me confused and in the dark. I want my students to succeed, but I want them to realize that failure is only a motivator to try harder. The world isn’t going to give them everything they want and isn’t going to make everything easy for them and I think as a teacher I want to help them prepare for those realities.
Standard 1
Teachers demonstrate leadership.
When it comes to leadership in my classroom I like to do a lot of reinforcement in a variety of ways. My biggest thing is to be understanding of where a student is coming from and the reasons behind their misbehavior. For example, I have noticed that sometimes students will be talking to one another (a typical sign of misbehavior in classrooms) but they are actually trying to help the student understand a topic. I think another thing is to be consistent and always follow through with a threat. My student teaching class thought they could run all over me when I first stepped into the classroom but quickly realized that wasn’t a good idea when I started making threats and following through with them. I also like to incorporate silent discipline such as taking a book off a child’s head as they are balancing it as a way of saying “Do you really need to be doing that?” silently.
Standard 2
Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students.
I think a keyword with this standard is classroom climate. The way in which classroom climate is created and upheld is by modeling and swift reinforcement of unacceptable behavior. If a student sees that you show favoritism to another student they are going to think this is acceptable to do to others. If a teacher sees that a student is being excluded from a group of students, the teacher needs to do quick reinforcing of appropriate behavior. As cliché as it sounds the old saying “Treat others the way you want to be treated” holds very true in this situation. Students need to be able to see through other people’s eyes. Another way to make students respectful of differences in people is through constant social studies integration and through charitable acts.
Standard 3
Teachers know the content they teach.
I think a big thing with this is integration of a variety of teaching methods and knowing how best your students learn. I know that when I was in school, a frustrating thing was being taught how to do something and if you didn’t get it, then too bad. I think that all children are different in looks and personality, so of course, it would make sense, that they would learn differently too. Another thing that frustrated me about teachers was when you asked them a question they would go all around the question but never actually answered the question. So, part of knowing the content you teach is to know how to answer any questions that may arise. Now granted, nobody knows everything and sometimes a teacher may not know the answer immediately they should try to acquire the answer instead of just pushing the question by the wayside. This shows that you value the students question and that we as teachers are still learners.
Standard 4
Teachers facilitate learning for their students.
This is the heart of effective teaching, making your instruction relevant and fun for your students. This is where students learn to collaborate with each other and the teacher. I want to create a place where students feel welcome, where they feel challenged yet capable. I want my students to realize that their time in school is not to learn remedial things what will not be necessary later on, but to prepare themselves to be efficient members of society. I want my students to be able to see through other’s eyes and to do everything they can to help others when they need it, to not be selfish and to realize that technology is a wonderful tool but is not to be used as a crutch.
Standard 5
Teachers reflect on their practice.
I tend to be a very self-critical person. I think that the majority of the time I tend to focus on the things that didn’t work. I want to be able to praise myself for the things that I did right rather than beating myself up for the things I did wrong. I want to continuously remind myself and my classmates that life is a chance to continuously try and get better. We should never feel or be stagnate but keep pushing forward always. We can always improve ourselves and I think that is something important I want to implement to my students.