Jenna Trumble

My Education Philosophy

I believe that for infant/toddler development you need many things to help the child

grow. Two philosophers that I agree with are Regio Emilia and Jean Piaget. Regio Emilia

believes that keeping the child engaged in what they are learning is the best way for them to

learn. Jean Piaget has intellectual development stages that a child progresses through as they get

older. I agree with both because the importance of hitting the developmental stages is keeping

the child involved and excited to play. I also believe that learning through play is the best way

for children of this age to learn.

I also believe that having a sense of cultural belonging is super important. In my

classroom, I will make sure that I have many books with different representations. These

representations could be anything from skin color to religion. Although many people might not

believe that children understand concepts this deep, I believe that infants/toddlers can understand

a lot more than people think. Their minds are like sponges and absorb so much. I also learned

that racism is taught and so, I believe that having different representation in the classroom helps

eliminate those thoughts at a young age.

Having family support at any age or grade level is very important. The caregiver or

parental figure involved in the child’s growth and development goes a long way. As a teacher, I

also value the communication between the parent and I. having the lines of communication open

can only help the child learn more and develop to the right stages. Communication to me is very

important because I try to put myself in the shoes of the parent. Especially at the infant/toddler

age a lot of parents might be sad that they could miss big milestones that the child might reach
throughout the day. Being able to understand the guilt a parent might have will help me

communicate to them what the goals are for their child.

Respect will be a big deal in my classroom. Whether it be respect for the teachers in the

room or other children. I understand that infants/toddlers are still learning about what that might

look like but, anything that is not respect should be explained to the child why the behavior is

wrong even if the child cannot verbally say why they are upset.

I want children to learn to trust themselves through play. I also want children to learn

how to have fun in the classroom with their learning. Infants/toddlers are learning so many things

and having so many new experiences. My lesson plans will help the child learn, grow, and have

fun. Especially when a child is this young, I do not believe that sitting the child at a desk will be

productive for the child’s learning.