Teaching Philosophy

“’If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”

- Ignacio Estrada

My teaching philosophy is entrenched in the intuition that students' are not able to

flourish academically or prosper as individuals within an unresponsive learning environment. A

classroom that aims to be developmentally responsive to all students' strengths and needs allows

students to effectively develop their academic, social, and emotional skills by inspiring students

to gain confidence, ultimately promoting academic motivation. Each student brings their own

individual strengths and insight into the classroom; my predominate venture as an educator is to

exploit their present expertise and help them discover their unexploited brilliance.

A popular misconception regarding education is that it is the teacher's job to teach and the

student's job to learn. This mentality minimizes the amount of teaching and learning within the

classroom for both the teacher and the students. Contrary to the misconception surrounding

education, I believe that teachers can learn just as much from their students as their students can

from them. By constructing a responsive learning environment, I aim to develop and maintain

strong relationships with each of my students that will allow me to make necessary changes

accordingly to meet the needs of all my students best and help them flourish in and outside of

school.

As a former student of various educators, I sympathize with those whose unheard

concerns and built-up frustrations led them to feel discouraged and disconnected from their

education. It is imperative that each student I am given the opportunity to teach feels comfortable

enough to share their perspectives, thoughts, and concerns on any given topic. When students

feel like their voice does not matter, they are forced to silently endure the burden preventing
them from achieving personal academic success alone, potentially adversely impacting their

mindset on learning. As an educator, I by no means want to ever detach myself from the

experience of being a student and a learner. I am committed to being a receptive teacher that

listens and learns from each and every student attentively, as I trust the valuable insight they

have to offer. By acclimatizing to receptive habits, I can learn more about my students and better

determine the changes needed to be made to meet their needs respectively, ultimately promoting

personal and academic success.

Students are more inclined to comfortably participate and engage in their learning when

they are in a learning environment where they are being listened to and taken seriously.

Constructing a responsive learning environment that fosters strong relationships among all is

crucial to enhancing academic success for each student. I intend to implement daily morning

meetings within my classroom to assist the development of strong, authentic relationships by

providing the opportunity for students to share their thoughts and perspectives. By inviting

students to share their perspectives and ideas, I encourage them to maximize and actively partake

in their educational experience.

Apart from setting the tone for the upcoming school day, daily morning meetings also set

up all students for a successful educational experience. Morning meetings are highly beneficial

for my students, me, and the culture of our classroom community. With this structured,

predictable routine, students will have time to build strong relationships with myself and their

peers, develop and practice both social and academic skills, and learn what behaviors are

expected and considered appropriate for our classroom. This routine enables my students and me

to collaborate with one another and construct a responsive learning environment that fosters

effective teaching and learning. Having time set aside each day to better know and understand
my students allows me to determine how to best accommodate my students academically and

socially.

Morning meetings incorporate four main components that I plan on altering and adapting

in various ways to meet the respective needs of my students. The four components of a morning

meeting can be described as the greeting, sharing portion, group activity, and daily

announcements. The purpose of the greeting part is to give students a sense of belonging by

having each individual within the classroom greet one another in a friendly manner. At the same

time, the sharing portion of the morning meeting is designed to simulate face-to-face

conversations and give students the chance to learn about their classmates' lives, interests, and

perspectives. These two components allow students to develop and practice skills vital to school

and life success while enhancing students' comfortability within the classroom by promoting

empathy and awareness.

The group activity portion of the morning meeting should include a brief, lively activity

that every student is able to participate in. In addition to creating a sense of class community

through shared experiences, group activities also promote teamwork by encouraging students to

work together to achieve the desired outcome. The activities utilized for this portion will be

altered and adapted to ensure that no child feels excluded or alienated during this valuable time.

Daily announcements should be the final portion of the morning meeting as it allows for a

smooth transition to the rest of the school day. This time is frequently used to develop and

reinforce the academic skills students have been learning and provide a rundown of the day's

upcoming activities.

I plan to utilize various strategies and procedures to help me achieve my goals regarding

classroom management, my beliefs on discipline, punishment, and consequences. To avoid

unnecessary chaos and disruptive behavior within the classroom, I will develop and practice

classroom procedures for minor and significant transitions. An example of a procedure I will

utilize for a significant transition is dismissal. I will gain students' undivided attention by

performing a clapping sequence that they will then repeat to me. Once students are carefully

listening to me, I will direct students to start cleaning up their workspace silently after they hear

me say the word "Go." I will also remind my students that to order tructed to retrieve their coats

and backpacks, their area must be cleaned, and they must show me they are ready by silently

sitting at their desks. This procedure will prevent students from running around the classroom

and creating a loud, disruptive environment. For a minor transition, like students asking to go to

the bathroom during instruction, my class will use American Sign Language to communicate this

need. By teaching them signs, they are not only able to efficiently communicate with me without

disrupting the class, but they are also learning ways to communicate with those who are hard of

hearing. I plan to use these two procedures, and the various others will be taught and practiced

every day to ensure my students know what to expect and when to expect it.

The procedure for handling disruptive or unacceptable behaviors within the classroom

will consist of four steps depending on the circumstance. The first step of this procedure involves

delivering a verbal reminder of our class rules to the entire class. This step allows each student to

reflect on their behavior and determine if they are following our class rules. The second step of

this procedure involves reminding the student directly by giving a stern look, pointing to our

class rules, or verbal warning. The third step of this procedure consists of finding an appropriate

time to talk with the student directly. If this student is continuously exhibiting disruptive

behaviors, there may be an underlying reason for it. As their teacher, it is my job never to let

their behavior define who they are as a person or student. I believe there is a reason for every
action, and in order to find that reason, I will talk and work with this student until we can create a

solution to avoid this behavior from continuing. The final step to this procedure involves the

calm corner. The calm corner is a designated area I will create in my classroom where students

will go when they are overwhelmed and need a break. This corner will consist of a comfortable

chair, a mood reflection chart, and a notepad. The corner is not a punishment but a safe place to

reflect on their emotions and write down why they may be feeling this way. Students must show

me that they wrote something on the page, so I know they used the calm corner effectively.

Being attuned to the continuous advances in digital technology is a high priority as I

believe it will allow me to keep pace with today’s upcoming generations and provide students

with the opportunity to academically and socially thrive inside and outside of the classroom.

Since technology has come to play an essential role in today’s society, it is fitting to reimagine

its role in education. By strategically integrating technology into the classroom, I aim to prepare

students with the skills necessary for 21st-century citizenship and help them find their niche

and purpose in the modern world. As technology continues to infiltrate and influence every

aspect of our lives, providing students with the opportunity to develop and strengthen their

digital literacy skills is of the essence. When students are familiar with popular productivity

software and understand how to use technology efficiently, students can maximize their

learning and are more inclined to succeed in the real world. Technology will enable me as an

educator to reinvent students’ approaches to learning and collaboration while allowing me to

personalize and adapt students’ learning experiences to meet all of their needs. Regularly

embracing technology and digital literacy will allow me to construct a learning environment

where engagement is encouraged and authentic learning is promoted.

 The plethora of educators I had the opportunity to work with or learn from has inspired

me and helped me develop my purpose as a teacher. Each student deserves to be in a learning

environment where they are confident and comfortable learning and flourishing despite their

differences. By punishing a student for misbehaving, the teacher is ignoring a potential cry for

help and enabling the inconspicuous issue at hand to worsen and prolong. Instead of punishing

my students, I intend to develop and maintain strong relationships with them to ultimately help

me know what I can do to help meet their individual needs.

For me, being an educator means much more than teaching a group of students the

required curricula. Being an educator means being able to unremittingly collaborate with

students in a responsive yet constructive environment that accommodates all students' needs to

promote lifelong success for all. The procedures and strategies I plan to utilize for my class are

inclusive. Depending on the accommodations or support my students may need, these procedures

and strategies can be altered. For example, to accommodate students with English as their second

language, I will provide them with a list of words they may be unfamiliar with during that lesson

and incorporate corresponding pictures that they can associate with the terms. For students with

visual disabilities, I will read aloud everything written or provided to the class. For the students

with auditory disabilities, I will supply them with speech-to-text devices to ensure they can read

whatever is spoken aloud. While these are just a few ways I can make my classroom more

inclusive, there is an abundance of other alterations that will ensure the needs of each of the

students I have the privilege to teach are met. Unlike mainstream classrooms, I anticipate my

teaching experience to be centered around a reciprocating experience where my students and I

teach together.