Philosophy of Education

The School

      I believe that the mission of a school should reflect inclusiveness and passion to deliver high-

quality education to all children. The administration and the school’s educators must be the

backbone to ensuring that the mission is being fulfilled each year. I think that by nature societies

where schools are located with begin to affect each other. Schools that are in lower

socioeconomic areas tend to have high gang rates and violence which infiltrate the school,

therefore impacting its setting. We must not forget that this too happens at the elementary level.

Although on paper this might look as if the school is doomed for academic failure and

behavioural problems, it is up to the strong leadership at the school to change the minds of the

students and positively impact them. I have worked at a school with a similar profile and the

administration put great emphasis on extracurricular activities and clubs that attracted the

students to keep them off the streets. Over the 4 years, I was at the school, I saw a great

improvement which inevitably decreased the number of behaviour issues and violence they were

experiencing in the school and the community.

The Curriculum 

      I am a huge supporter of bilingual education at the elementary level. Many studies show the

importance and benefits of bilingual education and I think that it is something that should be

started in grade 1. Not only do children absorb languages at a much more rapid pace than

teenagers or adults but it will also benefit them in the long run and their career. I also think that

these classes should stay mandatory throughout high school. In Canada, it is mandatory to have 1

French credit, so its most cases students drop French after grade 9. It has been proven that those

who speak both official languages have a wider job market and get paid significantly more.
Therefore, implementing it in the school system would benefit our students and pave them a

more successful pathway to their future careers.

Learning

      One of my favourite theorists that I always refer back to is Harry K. Wong. One of his most

meaningful theories to me is Wong’s characteristics of effective classroom management. I am a

strong believer that a classroom cannot be successful without proper classroom management. In

my classroom, I will be teaching my students within the first week various procedures that they

need to follow to make sure that my class runs like a well-oiled machine. I would love to include

morning routines, dismissal procedures, a procedure to follow if you missed a day of school and

lots more. 

      As the whole world had to adjust to living under strict regulations due to the global

pandemic, this has also fast-tracked the evolution of teaching and the importance of technology.

Many if not all provinces and states were quickly forced to adapt to an online educational

platform after realizing that life wasn’t going to go back to normal as fast as we thought. It is

extremely important that moving forward, it should be mandatory for teachers to have some sort

of training regarding technology and resources. There are Google Certified courses that are

offered that come with a mandatory exam and certificate upon successful completion. In my

opinion, this requirement will help bridge the gap between those who are experienced in using

such platforms and those who are not. This will overall help the evolution of learning as we

know it. 

      For our students to be successful all of their needs must be met by each school. This would

require various recourses to be available as well as other teaching aids to make sure that every

student is tended to their needs. On a structural level, I believe that it should be mandatory that
all areas of the school are wheelchair accessible. Here in Toronto, the older school does not have

that commodity, therefore a student who is using a wheelchair will have to possibly travel further

to go to an accessible school. Children with disabilities should have the option of going to

whichever school they please because all should be accessible to them.

The Learner

      As mentioned, my goal is to become a French Immersion teacher. I would love to work with

a primary grade of 1 or 2. The reason that I would love to start there is that this is the most

important stage in terms of building their language skills. Becoming bilingual is a long road, and

in the diverse community that I grew up in, many kids were already bilingual as English was not

their first language. Therefore, starting in a French Immersion program would add a third

language to their repertoire. My first language was Macedonian, then French and English.

Children must have a teacher that can teach them a strong foundation for them to continue being

successful. If a teacher does not have a strong enough background in the focus language, I

believe that they are only deteriorating the knowledge of their students. 

As much as the teacher has a huge influence on their students, the students must know what their

responsibilities are as well. The immersion program begins in grade 1, therefore homework is

limited, and reading is maximized. Most homework will consist of reading or watching a tv show

in French to work on their comprehension. Reflecting on my past experiences in a grade 1

French immersion classroom, students begin to start fluently speaking in French by the end of

January/ beginning of February. That is how much they absorb the language and new

information that is shown to them. Since the first half of the year is usually crucial to a student’s

success, it is very important to build parent relationships and express the important impact that

daily reading will have on their child. 

Assessment

      Evaluations should be flexible, and you should be able to provide a wide variety of options

for students. Not all students are testing fanatics, offering projects and worksheets that can be

used for evaluation is another strategy to accommodate your students. An oral progress

assessment could also work to evaluate their comprehension of the topic. I think it is necessary to

evaluate to determine how much of the information they have retained. This can also help the

teacher in determining what they need to go over and if there was a common area of confusion

within a particular area.  

Classroom Management

      As I stated above classroom management is crucial to have a successful and smooth-running

classroom. Not only will this make teaching lessons smoother, but it will also teach students

discipline without the need of being strict and uptight. It will also teach them to take

responsibility. I think the most effective classroom management tools are the step by step

procedures such as morning, lunch and dismissal routines. This eliminates the “what do I do

now” question and gets the kids ready for the day, lunch or to head home. There are also

procedures that I have witnessed for actions such as asking a question or an interactive entrance

routine between the teacher and teach student, whether that be a high-five, hug, dance etc. 

The Teacher

      I think that it is important that the teacher has a certain background for what they are

teaching. For the most part in elementary levels, the teacher will have to teach all subjects so as

long as you have the foundation of what you are teaching then you should be ok, but I do think it

should be a requirement for all teachers to be Google Certified, especially in our current state. I
also think that teachers should take at least 2 ESL and Special Education courses. This will give

them resources and tools to help all the students that may come into your classroom succeed. 

      I think all in all a teacher needs to be empathetic. If an educator lacks empathy, I don’t think

that this is the right profession for them. Every student comes from a unique background. This

environment could be supportive, traumatic, stressful etc. It is our job to make them feel safe for

the 8 hours that they are with us at school. Sometimes all kids need is to be loved and cared for

and listened to, even if it is just through silence. We must always remember to never assume

what a child has gone through that day, that morning or the night before. 

      From a professional standpoint, I think that the most important characteristic that a teacher

can have is the ability to be flexible. Flexibility is key, things come up, plans change, we have to

adjust based on student needs. This is why I’m not much of a stickler when it comes to deadlines.

It is important in my opinion to set those, to begin with, but there should be wiggle room for

those who need it.