Kathryn Stirk

CI 405
Philosophy Statement

I believe it is important to incorporate the diverse talents and needs of all students

through different activities and assessments. This will help to establish a positive learning

environment by including each student in the learning process, encouraging each to take pride in

their education. Additionally, this will create an environment of acceptance. Not only is

acceptance an important life skill, but it will enhance their education by learning about diversity

directly from their peers. I believe it is important to expose students to both diverse activities and

literature in order to establish a positive and effective learning environment. Both the activities

and literature will fuel discussion about personal differences, regarding not only gender and race,

but also simply different interests and learning styles. While one student may be better at

understanding material visually, another may be better at oral presentations. It is important to

highlight each individual student’s differences in order to emphasize that everybody has different

talents and needs.

I believe that it is not only important to effectively communicate with parents and other

colleagues about my students, but it is crucial to their education that I can effectively

communicate with each student. While some teachers may argue that elementary children are too

young to understand how to communicate with a teacher about their education, I disagree. At any

age, children should take ownership in their education. I believe it is important for students to

care about their work. They receive the grades, not their parents. They comprehend what is being

taught each day, not their parents and surely not my colleagues. In my classroom, I will not only

have parent-teacher conferences, but I will also hold student-teacher conferences to discuss with

them one-on-one what they would like to learn about as well as which teaching methods they

prefer over others. This will truly incorporate the students in their education for it should be in
their control. Additionally, I believe it is important for me to get personally involved in the

school’s community in order to prove to the students that I can be trusted and truly care; I want

to show them that I am invested in their education and their future. I could simply involve myself

by attending a sporting event, play, or simply any community activity. Overall, I believe that

their education is in their control, making an effective communication system, such as student-

teacher conferences and a trustworthy relationship, even more so important.

However, it is also important to establish a strong communication system with my

student’s parents. More especially, at a younger age, parents can have a significant impact on the

direction of their children’s education. Children see their parents and guardians as role models.

Thus, when a parent is involved in the education system, the students may also choose to become

involved in both their education and even further their community. I believe positive interactions

with the parents are key to enhancing learning communities. This can be done through either

phone or e-mail contact; Most importantly, it is important to involve parents in disciplinary

problems. I believe it is important to remember not to undermine a parent, giving my students a

wrong impression. Not only is both child and parental involvement important in establishing a

positive and effective learning environment, children also deserve the support of others, varying

from school administration to staff to peers.

I believe it is important to exhibit professional conduct and dispositions primarily through

class procedures as well as rules and regulations set in place by the class as an entirety. It is

important to have both procedures and classroom rules as a formality. I believe these

expectations are vital; however, I also believe it is important to possess a sense of flexibility. It is

impossible to be prepared for every situation that may arise in the classroom, yet formalities are

beneficial in helping to establish stable learning environments for many students. More

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specifically, I believe the children should be actively involved in the planning process, once

again allowing them to take ownership in their education. While having a general outline of

possible classroom procedures and rules at hand, I will sit with the students as a class on the first

day of class and establish both general classroom procedures and rules through a contract. Not

only will we establish these regulations, each student as well as myself will sign the contract,

saying that we will all obey the procedures and regulations set forth. Typically, the children will

remain true to the contract as a result of their active involvement in the process.

I believe it is important to emphasize that learning never stops. It is beneficial for me to

also continue learning. Not only does it demonstrate how important learning is, but it will also

allow me to continue updating my teaching methods, continually utilizing effective, new

approaches. Continuing my personal education will encourage critical self-reflective techniques

to improve teaching. However, I believe students should also be included in the revision process.

The student-teacher conferences will not only give me an idea of what they would like to learn

about, but it will also help me reflect on my teaching. As a teacher, I want to know what benefits

each individual student the most.

While I do believe that it is vital for students to learn the established school curriculum, I

also believe students should learn life lessons and how to intellectually become active among our

society. There is inevitable state standards that each student is required to meet; additionally,

education builds off itself each new school year. However, I believe it is good for your soul to be

invested in something bigger than you, whether on a small or large scale. I will address societal

issues by integrating them into our traditional curriculum. Regarding student learning, I believe

each student learns best in their own way. In general, it is important for students to be actively

involved rather than passively. I will use a student-centered approach to teaching within my

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classroom. Rather than being a teacher as a lecturer, I will be a teacher as a facilitator of their

education. Once actively involved in the classroom, some students may prefer visual over

auditory learning or vice versa. It would be difficult to teach each lesson in a multiple number of

ways, thus I believe it is significantly beneficial to have a variety of lessons for each unit, in turn

engaging each student during the unit through different lessons. However, I must still effectively

teach each student even when the lesson is not presented in necessarily their best learning style.

Overall, I want children to want to learn in my classroom. I want children to believe in

themselves. I want to help build their self-confidence by making the learning environment a

friendly and welcoming place for learning, capturing all of the students differing interests.

I am wholly committed to their education. I believe all students deserve an equal

opportunity for education, and I want to give this opportunity to all students, enhancing their

learning environment, thus engaging a larger number of students. I believe all students also have

the capability of performing at any level. I want to push them in order for them to learn even

more than they ever thought they could.