My Philosophy on Education
Students were asked to represent something they liked about themselves and made them unique using liquid glue and pastels.
All children are creative, inquisitive, and bring their own unique experiences, backgrounds and knowledge to the classroom community. As a result of this, a teacher needs to create an environment which supports these curiosities and this shared knowledge through actively listening, observing, participating and finding ways to extend and revisit the students’ experiences through project based learning and hands-on lessons. This environment calls for a teacher to be flexible and for the students to take ownership over their learning where they may co-construct their knowledge.
The teacher must also create a safe environment where each child can take risks to open up new opportunities, new discoveries, and build confidence. Teachers should create relationships with their students that help them to grow outside of the classroom or school walls. Many of the teachers I look up to and who taught me were the teachers that dedicated their time both inside and outside of school hours to take interest in children’s talents. They created opportunities for children to explore these further through classroom activities, noon-hour clubs and after-school programs. These were the teachers who I had the strongest connections with and who made a difference in my life. As a teacher, I strive to make a personal connection with each child in a unique way to make them feel valued and to show that there is another caring adult in their lives who will support them and celebrate their accomplishments.
Teachers need to create an environment not only where students feel connected to their school, classmates, and teachers but also to their homes and communities. I think family involvement in the classroom is very important. Teachers need to acknowledge that there are many ways to create opportunities for family involvement and to create a classroom which values each of the different families which make up the classroom community.
I believe a teacher must create meaningful relationships with their students by being a caring adult by valuing each student’s unique qualities. A teacher should also be calm and flexible and be able to take time to play and explore along with their students. Lastly, a teacher must be creative in how they approach the curriculum providing students with opportunities to explore what is meaningful to them by provoking and challenging their thinking. This is what I strive for in my teaching practice.
Students were asked to represent something they liked about themselves and made them unique using liquid glue and pastels. This kindergarten student chose to represent his brain.