MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg.

Mission Statement and Philosophy

Introduction to Education 330

Claire H. Warschauer

Muskingum University
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 2

Throughout my experience I have learned many educational practices and philosophies.

With the help of in-class discussion and teaching, I have been able to analyze the content of this

course and apply it to my own beliefs and future practices. I have determined five key beliefs

that truly shape the kind of educator I want to be. I believe that all students are valuable. I

believe that every student deserves the opportunity to be successful. I also believe that teacher-

student relationships can have a positive impact on student learning. I believe that high

expectations are the key to unlocking a student’s potential. Finally, I believe that positivity can

make a difference in student success. In this paper, I will be discussing how I plan to put my

beliefs (philosophy) to practice (mission) based on the educational research and knowledge I

have gained through the duration of the introduction to education course. 

The belief that all students are valuable comes from my view that all people have value

and their value doesn’t change based on their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. One

thing that I think is important to remember is that students are people too. The way I plan on

implementing this into my classroom is by providing an environment where every student feels

comfortable and accepted for who they are regardless of the labels or boxes they are sometimes

put into. I want my students to know they are more than just a body at a desk or a test score. I

want my students to feel that their culture is valued and appreciated in my classroom. In the

reading by Alfie Kohn (2005), it describes unconditional teaching as “Teaching the whole child

requires that we accept students for who they are rather than for what they do.”. I think this is an

important concept to grasp and implement into my classroom because is at the heart of my key

belief that all students are valuable. I also think this statement by Kohn is important because

students will feel comfortable and accepted in an environment where those things are evidently

displayed to them. One way I could practice this is by expressing to my students how I care for
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 3

them when they achieve and when they make mistakes. For example, if a student turns in a paper

late I could express concern and inquire why it was late and allow them to earn points back

(within reason). I believe that by displaying care no matter the outcome shows the student how

valuable the teacher sees them. In the reading, it also described a situation where a student was

acting out and the teacher in the situation told the student that no matter what he or she did it was

not going to make the teacher like him or her any less, (Kohn, A. 2005). After that conversation,

the student’s behavior changed and he or she acted out less because it was evident to the student

that he or she was indeed valued and was in a good environment, (Kohn A. 2005). Another

reading described how in a primary school environment many teachers display the student’s

artwork and assignments on the walls, (Saifer, S., Edwards, K., Ellis, D., Ko, L., Stuczynski, A.

2011). This shows the students that they matter and are valued by having their work shown to

everyone who walks into the classroom. If I am in a classroom that is at the age where artwork

and other things like that could be shown I could place their work on the walls of our classroom

too. If I was at an older age group, I could still demonstrate to my students that they are cared for

and valued but in a slightly different way. I would put up newspaper articles of my students

whenever that had a sports achievement, academic award, or anything in the community

published in the local paper. I remember one teacher that did this, and all the students felt so

great seeing their peers on the board and even sometimes themselves. Overall, I plan on having

my classroom be a safe and accepting environment for all students by showing them I care for

them and value who they are.

 I believe that every student deserves the opportunity to be successful and I plan on

providing the tools for each student to do so. Throughout my educational classes at Muskingum,

I have been a part of many discussions about the different learning styles that students have and
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 4

how in some K-12 experiences, the voice of students did not matter. To provide my future

students with the opportunity to be successful I would need to know and understand how each

student learns and check in frequently with their progress and the questions they have through

frequent progress monitoring, check-ins, and exit tickets. In Rosenshines Principles of

Instruction (2012), it describes different ways to instruct students in the classroom that I would

practice. Since students have different learning styles it would be essential for me to make sure

that students are grasping the information being taught to them, this aligns with Rosenshines

(2012), “check for student understanding” principle. This check would not just be a pop quiz, it

could be a simple thumbs up or thumbs down from the students. I could then use this information

to prepare my next lesson because I would be aware of what my students are getting and what

they may need more help with. Another things that would help me better prepare my lessons for

students with different learning styles would be through teaching in various approaches, “This

means taking the information that you know about the way each individual student learns and

using that information to provide students with the best possible lesson.”, (Cox, J. 2019 July 13).

I also would practice demonstrating to my students how to complete the tasks I am asking them

to do. This would be crucial for those who are considered visual learners. In my field hour

experience, I got the opportunity to help teach a lesson on telling time to third graders. I would

not just tell them which hand was the minute and hour, I would show them which hand was

which and how to use those hands to tell time. This aligns closely with Rosenshines principle,

“provide models”, Rosenshine, B. (2012). In Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning, it describes

another element of teaching that I used in my time-telling lesson, “demonstration”, (Cambourne,

B. 1995). In my field hours experience, I had the opportunity to employ both providing models

and demonstrations. Both practices helped engage the students and because of that, I could give
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 5

them feedback on their work on what they needed to do to be successful in the next question on

telling time. The feedback element of learning also helps students become successful. In

Cambourne’s Conditions, the last condition given is “response”, (Cambourne, B. 1995). By

giving students a response to their work they can accurately know what they need to correct to be

successful in the classroom or know that they are on the right track. 

Relationships are the reason I decided I wanted to become an educator. The relationships

I had with my teachers in my K-12 experience not only shaped my educational experience but

who I am today. Positive teacher-student relationships can increase student engagement,

therefore, affecting a student’s learning. In class, we had a guest speaker named Mr. Gunter

(2019 October), who went over his 18 Tips for Building a Better Relationship With your

Students. All his tips were great ideas to incorporate into my educational practice but there were

a few I thought stood out. One of my favorites was number eleven, “Remember what a student

tells you” (Gunter, 2019 October). I believe that this is an important way to help build

relationships with students because by remembering what is going on in a student’s life, and

demonstrating that, it shows the student you care. I would put this into practice by doing just

that, if someone told me they were going to get a new dog tonight, the next day I would try to

remember and ask them how it all went. Mr. Gunter (2019 October), also gave a tip to “Give

warm greetings and goodbyes” to help build relationships in the classroom. Telling my students

good morning, good afternoon, and adding my own fun twist to it is something I look forward to.

The biggest tip that came from Mr. Gunter’s presentation (2019 October) was number one, “Be

real with your students”. Being honest and open with your students will help them to see you not

just as their teacher but as a person. Telling personal stories is a way to be real with students. In a

you-tube video interviewing Jose Gomez by San Bernardino City School District (2018 August
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 6

17th) it showed Mr. Gomez sharing his story about his parents not being able to speak English

when they first came to America. Gomez also talked about how much the students enjoy his

passion for teaching and that they do not care about how much content he knows but rather how

much he cares, (San Bernardino City School District, 2018 August 17th). He states, “I believe

that some of these students are dying to make this connection”, (San Bernardino City School

District, 2018 August 17th). In an article written by Tara Brown (2010 August), she listed some

ideas that I could practice in my own classroom environment, like letting students get to know

you. Having lesson plans with tidbits of things that are unique to me as the educator like my

favorite sports team or food, this can help create connections with students who have the same

love of the team or food as I would. Brown (2010 August) also said there is a “proven

connection between positive relationships and student achievement”. She then went on to say

how relationships and instruction to work with each other to increase student engagement and

success, “Research tells us this combination will increase engagement, motivation, test scores,

and grade point averages while decreasing absenteeism, dropout rates, and discipline issues.”

Brown, T. (2010 August). I want to have relationships with my students that help them succeed

in class but more importantly outside of it. I am very grateful for the relationships I have with my

past educators; they are ones that I still have today.

In life there are always expectations set. I truly believe that without the expectations my

family, teachers, and friends had for me I would not be as successful as I am today. Because of

this, I believe that high expectations are the key to unlocking a student’s potential. These

expectations should be individualized to each students learning goals to ensure they are capable

of meeting the expectation set. One of the conditions presented in Cambourne’s Conditions of

Learning was “expectations” (1995). Having expectations in a classroom environment can help
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 7

students achieve what they are capable of. In the reading by Cambourne, it states, “We achieve

what we expect to achieve; we fail if we expect to fail…” (1995 pg. 187). Students learn in an

environment where high expectations are communicated, and the teacher believes the student can

learn. I will set realistic expectations in my classroom that will push my students to succeed

without making them feel it is unattainable. I will do this by constantly showing them support,

giving them the tools they need to reach the expectations set. For example, in my field hours

experience the host teacher established an expectation for the students to finish the movie

summary by the end of class. The teacher did not just hand it to them without providing

guidance or the tools necessary to complete the assignment. In the days ahead of this, she had the

students take notes as they watched the film and told them to be ready for the summary come

Thursday. When that day came and the assignment was handed out the students were prepared to

complete the summary. In an article titled High Expectations in 90/90/90 Schools by Michael

White, it talks about how there is an emphasis on the achievements that students make, (White.

2015 December). Despite the struggles the majority of students in the building have they do very

well in the classroom. Having high expectations to do well as they have in the past may play a

factor in how well they do now. In this introduction to education course we discussed how if a

teacher believes a student can learn the student will have more success in grasping the concept,

this leads me into my final belief and practice statement. 

Positivity can go a long way in the success of a student. A change in attitude can

sometimes turn a whole situation around, and that’s why I believe that positivity can increase a

student’s success. I want to put this belief of mine into practice by turning my focus as an

educator to the things that my students can and will achieve to help them realize they can be

successful in my classroom and life. I will set my focus on the improvements my students make.
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 8

In the 90/90/90 schools, five distinct characteristics set them apart from other schools, one of

them being “focus on student achievement”. (Reeves, D. 2003 January). In these schools, there

are posters, diagrams, and student work proudly posted in the halls, (Reeves, D. 2003 January).

These posters and signs showed the good test scores and great academic achievement of the

students who walk by them every day. One poster said, “it is not where you start but where you

finish” (Reeves, D. 2003 January pg. 4). This little statement is reminding students that it is okay

to not have it all right now, but that if you work hard you can improve. I want to instill the focus

on the positive mentality that these 90/90/90 schools have. I will do this by emphasizing to my

students how awesome they are when they achieve something they were not sure they could

before. If a student was excelling in math but was struggling in the reading portion of the day. I

would tell them how great their math work was, rather than just focusing on what they did not do

well. Another example of this would be if a student turned in a paper and the content was great,

but the grammar was off. I would not just tell the student what a lousy job the grammar side was,

but I would explain to the student how wonderful the story was and how it could improve with

fewer commas and better spelling. By turning my focus on what the student did achieve they

then can see what they can get it right and can be successful. In Mr. Gunter’s (2019 October)

presentation, another tip he shared was “Call home for good behaviors more often than bad.”. I

will implement this tip into my education practice by letting the student know how well they are

doing at something more than when they make a mistake. I also will let the parents of my

students know when their child is having success in the classroom. I believe that this is a good

way to help the student and parents be proud of the work being done at school. 

Overall my mission statement that I described in the paragraphs above could be

summarized into 5 key statements; I will provide an accepting and comfortable learning
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 9

environment for all students. I will give my students the tools needed to succeed in my

classroom. I will invest time and energy into my students to foster relationships with them. I will

set and keep high expectations in my classroom for my students. Finally, I will focus on what

students can do and will achieve to help them realize they can and will be successful. My

philosophy of education includes five key statements; I believe that all students are valuable. I

believe that every student deserves the opportunity to be successful. I believe that teacher-student

relationships can have a positive impact on student learning. I believe that high expectations are

the key to unlocking a student’s potential. Finally, I believe that positivity can make a difference

in student success
 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 10

References

Brown, T. (2010 August). The Power of Positive Relationships. Retrieved from,

https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/Articl

eID/185/The-Power-of-Positive-Relationships.aspx.

Cambourne, B. (1995). Toward an educationally relevant theory of literacy learning: Twenty

years of inquiry. The Reading Teacher, 49(3), 182–190.

Cox, J. (2019 July 13). Smart Teaching Strategies Rooted From Research to Support Instructors.

Retrieved from, https://www.thoughtco.com/promoting-student-equity-and-engagement-

4074141.

Gunter (2019 October). 18 Tips for Building a Better Relationship With your Students.

Talk presented at, Muskingum University.

Kohn, A. (2005). Unconditional teaching. Educational leadership, 63(1), 20–24.

Saifer, S., Edwards, K., Ellis, D., Ko, L., Stuczynski, A. (2011). Culturally responsive

standards-based teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

San Bernardino City School District, SanBdoCitySchools (2018 August 17th). The First Day of

High School: Establishing Classroom Expectations and Building Relationships.

Retrieved from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUiWFntut00

Reeves, D. (2003 January). High performance in high poverty schools: 90-90-90 and beyond.

Center for Performance Assessment.

 MISSION STATEMENT AND PHILOSOPHY pg. 11

Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction. American Educator, 12–39.

Retrieved from, http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/spring2012/Rosenshine.pdf

White, M. (2015 December). High expectations and 90-90-90 schools.

Retrieved from, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/high-expectations-90-90-90-schools

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