JENNIFER MATSON!

SEPTEMBER 21, 2013

Philosophy of Education
The Purpose of Education
I believe that each student has a story--a story that goes beyond what is seen and understood in the classroom. They have a depth of identity that is always forming and I choose to be a part of that process. student and stretching them further and deeper. So what does this look like in the classroom? I build trusting relationships with my students and mutual respect. I approach my students as a learner, trying to nd in them life-giving connections to the content. I seek to create an environment that fosters healthy behaviors through building relationships with my students, collaborating with them, establishing clear rules and expectations, earning authority and respect from my students by living what I preach. I believe that the environment that which I uphold in the classroom has the greatest impact on classroom management. I know that students behaviors are rooted in something deeper---unseen circumstances---that I must approach with understanding. I would rst sit down with a student and form a plan of improvement rather than resorting to punishment.
Good education is always more process than product...Good education teaches students to become both producers of knowledge and discerning consumers of what other people claim to know. -Palmer in The Courage to Teach

Every child has unique gifts and experiences that can never be reduced. My calling, as a teacher, is to know each of my students and meet them where they are. It is to grow them and push them further in knowing themselves and the world around them. Education is not an act of placing information in an empty vessel, but rather taking all the riches within a

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JENNIFER MATSON! I encourage learning that is deeper than the grades on a test. True learning is important to me and this is better assessed through formative assessments and differentiated projects. Formative assessments allow students to learn from their mistakes. Projects, portfolios, and other similar assessments show a students growth and learning over time, which is exactly what I want to assess. It is the whole of the student that I attempt to see and know. I believe that every student has potential and it is my place to nd that potential within them and nurture their entirety. It is only from the inside out that students grow. When they connect and enjoy what they are learning then the product of their learning is greater and authentic. How does my philosophy impact the methods I implement in the classroom? As I have mentioned, my goal is to teach the whole child. I create lessons that engage more than just the minds of my students, but their hearts and bodies as well. I seek to ignite excitement and interest in my students through connecting the content to their individual lives and passions. I form lessons that involve movement and variety. I am aware of my students learning styles and shape my instruction to meet their needs. I believe that teaching encompasses not only methods !

SEPTEMBER 21, 2013 and content, but an ability to connect with the person behind the learning---the student. Education is not about performance. It is not merely reciting information for children to memorize. It is encouraging and building people who can think for themselves and interact with our world for the better.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. -Albert Einstein

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