Ms.

Quades Philosophy of Teaching

My desire to become a teacher has been present ever since I can remember. I was about
four years old, and I recall my fathers priceless response and inquiry of What happened?! as
he walked into the living room. The coffee table was pushed toward one end of the room, the TV
was turned into a makeshift chalkboard, the chairs were arranged in an orderly manner and my
stuffed animals waited anxiously as I gave them a spelling test. My fathers only words were,
You are going to be a teacher someday! It was memories like this, and those later aha moments
after I successfully assisted a classmate with an assignment that I knew I wanted to be teacher. At
first, the thrill of giving spelling tests, grading with the red pen and having the power to divide
students into groups was my main motivation to enter into the profession. It wasnt until I
became an English tutor and supplementary instructor for Northern and then began my blocks,
that I realized teaching itself is so much more.
Education classes, such as Educational Psychology and Child and Adolescent
Development helped me realize the importance of teachers through the different theorists we
learned about. Two theorists who have been particularly important to my education include Lev
Vygotsky and Benjamin Bloom. First, Lev Vygotsky introduced the ideas of the Zone of
Proximal Development along with the importance of cooperative learning and scaffolding.
According to Vygotsky, students enter into a classroom with an established Zone of Proximal
Development, which determines how much they know about a certain concept. Vygotsky found
that if teachers scaffold, which involves teaching a concept, offering assistance in independent
practice and then stepping back as the students practice the concept more, students will have
confidence in the skills that have been taught to them, thus promoting more independence in
their learning experience. Along with this, Vygotsky promoted cooperative learning, which

involves students learning together. Together, these concepts assist in expanding the students
Zone of Proximal Development and overall knowledge.
Benjamin Bloom and his taxonomy have also been important elements in my teaching. In
his taxonomy, Bloom presented the idea of higher-order learning. Here, students are first
introduced to the new material and begin to gain an understanding of it. Through the elements of
application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation, students can then gain a deeper understanding of
the concept along with creating their own interpretation. This taxonomy, combined with
Vygotskys ideas of scaffolding and cooperative learning, can promote greater independence in
learning the current concept and for future learning experiences.
These theorists have equipped me with qualities to become a successful teacher. Through
tutoring college students, including several international students, along with becoming a
supplemental instructor for history classes to promote greater student success on exams, I have
developed several strengths to help me be an effective teacher. For example, over my years as a
tutor, my patience levels have been tested with the many demands required of me; however, I
have found that through these difficult times, my patience has surprisingly increased because I
understand that students learn at different rates and in a variety of ways. Along with this, I have
developed compassion and the determination to help my students succeed. With this being said, I
firmly believe that all students can learn and present their talent if only the opportunity allows.
These have contributed to the very reason I want to teachwhich is to help my future students
find that appreciation and those Ah-ha! moments in our history. By using a variety of teaching
styles including student-centered learning, hands-on activities and the use of artifacts and other
primary sources, I hope to help my students see just how amazing our history is!

While the belief that all students can learn is a major factor in teaching, classroom
climate can make all of the difference in students retaining knowledge given to them. From what
I have learned and observed from past classroom experiences, I hope to make my history
classroom a warm, welcoming environment. I plan to warmly greet my future students at the
door when they come in and after they have all assembled in the classroom. I would also create a
reading/ history resource corner. This would be a quiet area filled with comfy chairs, a shaggy
rug and fun books, along with history books, to assist in the students history knowledge and to
help them destress. Around my classroom, I would also hang fun posters that include WW II
propaganda, inspirational quotes and photos of historic events, like Kissing on VJ Day. I also
plan to hang and arrange pieces of history around my classroom; for example, I could hang
airplanes from the ceiling or include pictures of historical events or military uniforms over the
years. Most importantly, my classroom would house plants and abundant amounts of sunshine to
help students remember that there is light at the end of the education tunnel!
Besides the classroom set-up, I want my students to understand that I am a teaching
resource, as well as an adult they can look up to and come to if they need a shoulder to cry on,
advice on a decision in their life or even just a person to talk to. In creating a positive classroom
environment and a healthy student- teacher relationship, this will promote greater learning and
student involvement in the classroom and their entire academic career.
To me, teaching isnt about reusing lesson plans for forty years and using the same
activities until retirement. It involves well-thought out plans and a desire to better oneself as a
teacher because there is always room for improvement. To accomplish this, I intend to stay on
top of my game when researching historical events; my students will be coming to my history
classroom every day to receive an education, so they deserve an accurate, thorough lessonno

excuses. Along with this, I will research different teaching methods and activities, using my
fellow teachers as valuable resources. Finally, I intend to make use of the resources given to me
by attending workshops for teachers and keeping up-to-date on current events and teaching
strategies.
My education at Northern State University, the knowledge of educational theorists and
the intent for my future classroom combined with the knowledge that every student can learn if
they are given the opportunity, I hope to become an effective teacher who can make a positive
impact on my students lives.