As a mother I intend to raise children that aspire for more than to abide by my household rules. Not hitting your sister or burping at the kitchen table are good rules to follow, but I have never heard of a child that wanted to be a “rule follower” when they grew up. Furthermore, I have never heard of a competition or award of excellence for rule following. It just isn’t something anyone is motivated to achieve. My children are intelligent, creative and funny and are lead by their own interests and passions. As a parent it is my role to guide them; to be an escort rather than a pilot in their learning. Now as a teacher, when asked what my teaching philosophy is, it seems natural to have what I want for my own children to spill over into what I want for my students. I do not want students who can behave within a classroom structure; I expect them to desire for much more.

As an educator I am focused on teaching the whole child by

educating the heart, inspiring the mind and empowering a generation

of independent and confident learners.

Educating the heart

Daniel Goleman – author of the best selling book Emotional Intelligence and co-founder of  CASEL – notes that “employers are looking for people who have both academic and self competencies.  Future jobs require people to get along, relate well to customers, stay motivated and take initiative.”  As educators, one of our roles is to prepare students for future employment and successful relationships.  I believe that giving students the tools and skills to manage emotions, show empathy, make responsible decisions and maintain positive relationships will prepare them for future success.

Teaching children social and emotional competencies begins with the teacher’s authentic modeling of the desired behavior.  The teacher sets the tone in the classroom and is the ultimate example.  This does not require emotional perfection, but rather authentic and honest self-regulating of emotions.

Secondly, social and emotional competencies thrive in a physical space that supports these ideals.  Therefore, before the students have even entered the room, the space is designed to support students in self managing emotions and relationship building.  Examples include bins for sharing supplies rather than individual cubbies; multiple seating areas that students can choose to work in; a common area for the class to come together; a quiet corner for refocussing, filled with manipulatives, a 500 piece puzzle or coloring; natural lighting and lamps placed throughout the room and plants in the classroom in order to bring the outdoors in.

Finally, the daily routines, expectations and activities in the classroom must support social and emotional learning.  Examples include, daily/weekly check-ins of student’s feelings and experiences; review of self management behaviours and strategies in between activities; and taking time between subjects to process information and transition.

Inspiring the mind

Children are naturally curious.  We must be careful not to stifle their curiosity by redirecting learning towards PLO’s.  Educators must honor students’ natural desires to explore and question.  Therefore, approaches such as “Genius Hour” or graffiti walls filled with students questions are great ways to honor a students curiosity.  Moreover, as educators explore a child’s questions they are also leading the child in the direction of their own passions and interests, resulting in the most motivating learning experience.

Independence and confidence in learning

The purpose of my teachings is to develop students into independent and confident learners.  Therefore, it is my desire to equip students to  implement their learning independently in “real world” situations.  Skills such as perserverence, stamina, self regulation and good decision making will prepare students to overcome challenges in their future adult world.

The order of things

It is important to note, that in my statement I mention “educating the heart” first, as it is the priority in my teaching.  The prioritization of educating a student’s heart, comes from numerous readings I conducted regarding best practices for ELL’s.  Continually, research shows that an educator’s most influential strategy for an ELL’s academic success is to integrate students’ diverse cultures into the classroom by affirming students’ linguistic, cultural, and intellectual talents in all interactions.  Therefore, a student will perform well academically if the educator accepts, values, and celebrates a student’s culture and identity.  As this is the most vital tool in ensuring academic success it must therefore be a priority in my classroom.  As a professor once told me as I embarked on my long practicum, “the one piece of advice that I can give you in order to ensure your success on your practicum is to love your students.  Just love your students, and the rest will follow. Good luck!”