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Teaching Philosophy

Beatty, et al. (2009) states that “A statement of teaching philosophy is a narrative

description of one’s conception of teaching, including the rationale for one’s teaching methods”

(p. 100). When thinking about writing a teaching philosophy, I needed to think about who I am

as a teacher and how I deliver instruction to my students. If someone were to ask me about what

kind of teacher I perceive myself as, I would say that I possess the qualities of an authoritative

teacher. It is important for me to find ways to keep my students engaged, all while considering

their learning styles. Also, as a primary grade teacher, it is imperative to model routines,

procedures, and expectations for students. If I want something certain or particular from my

students, I will model how to do it. Children are very visual learners, so they need those

reinforcements.

As an authoritative-style teacher, I have high expectations for my students, but I am also

very responsive to my students’ needs. I can relate these two qualities to the Affective Lens,

specifically the Attachment Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In her review of the topic

on Attachment Theory, Krstic (2015), stated “Students are more likely to develop secure

relationships when teachers are involved with, sensitive toward, have frequent positive

interactions with children (Howes & Hamilton 1992a), hold high expectations for students

(Davis, 2003), and support students’ autonomy during classroom assignments (Gurland &

Grolnick, 2003) (p. 170). At the beginning of and throughout the year, I do several tasks to build

student relationships. I also make the effort to support my students outside of school by attending

their basketball games, soccer games, etc. This creates a relationship not only in the classroom,

but also in the community. Students learn from teachers that take an interest in them and care

about them. In a study that was conducted on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the findings
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provided “some support for Maslow’s assertion that growth needs such as academic progress

may be positively related to improvements in deficiency needs such as safety and

love/belonging” (Noltemeyer, et al., p. 1866, 2012). Ensuring that students feel safe in a

classroom environment and making sure that their basic needs are met is important for their

success. If students are lacking a basic need, they will be much more focused on that than the

teacher’s lesson.

Student engagement and accommodating to students’ learning styles fall under the

Unfoldment Theory. According to Tracey and Morrow (2017), “If, Rosseau insisted, children are

forced to learn information that is of no interest to them, their learning will be impeded” (p. 25).

Students are more likely to retain information if they are engaged or learning something that

interests them. I am always finding and implementing new ways to engage my students in their

learning as well as appealing to the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. The school I am

currently at is an arts-integration school, so students are able to express themselves creatively

through movement, art, or music. I have noticed that students are much more engaged in arts-

integrated lessons, and they appeal to all styles of learners.

Modeling for my students is something that I do for almost every lesson, even in the

beginning of the year when teaching routines and procedures. Modeling would fall under the

Mental Discipline Theory because of the repeated practice and drills. Just as Tracey and Morrow

(2017) state, “Practice effects are seen in research studies in a wide variety of areas affecting

children’s reading achievement such as oral language development, phonemic awareness,

exposure to print, and experience with storybook reading” (p. 35). I use the ‘I do, we do, you do’

strategy frequently during reading instruction, which is a form of modeling. I spend most of the

first semester of the school year modeling how I want certain activities completed by my
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students, and we complete them together. By the second semester, my students tend to become

more independent and can complete activities and tasks on their own. Students are expected to

start reading stories and assessments on their own by the second semester of the school year, so

it’s important for me to continuously model the activities and strategies for students to be

successful.

As my journey as a master’s student comes to an end, I believe that I have learned so

much about myself as a teacher. Through perseverance and reflection, I have been able to

identify strengths and weaknesses of my teaching abilities and how to find ways to continue to

grow as an educator. My preferred vision of literacy teaching requires small group differentiated

reading instruction. I not only want to focus on the literacy deficits of students, but also

challenge the high-flyers through enrichment.

Currently, I am in my sixth year of teaching at Doral Academy. For five of those years, I

have taught first grade and I taught fourth grade for one year. Since I have worked with first

graders for the majority of my career, I understand how important it is for young children to have

a strong literacy foundation. I would like to continue my work with first graders, so that I can

provide effective literacy instruction and ensure that they will be successful in second grade and

beyond. Eventually, I see myself becoming either an instructional coach or a reading

strategist/specialist with my master’s degree. It is my dream to help other teachers with their

literacy instruction. I believe I would be a great resource for teachers because I have gained and

learned so much as a result of my master’s program.

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References

Beatty, J. E., Leigh, J. S. A., & Dean, K. L. (2009). Philosophy rediscovered: Exploring the

connections between teaching philosophies, educational philosophies, and

philosophy. Journal of Management Education, 33(1), 99-114.

http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.unlv.edu/10.1177/1052562907310557

Davis, H. (2003). Conceptualizing the role and influence of student–teacher relationships on

children’s social and cognitive development. Educational Psychologist, 38(4), 207–234.

Gurland, S., & Grolnick, W. (2003). Children’s expectancies and perceptions of adults: Effects

on rapport. Child Development, 74(4), 1212–1224.

Krstic, K. (2015). Attachment in the student-teacher relationship as a factor of school

achievement. Teaching Innovations, 28(3), 167-188.

Noltemeyer, A., Bush, K. J., Patton, J., & Bergen, D. (2012). The relationship among deficiency

needs and growth needs: An empirical investigation of Maslow’s theory. Children and

Youth Services Review, 34, 1862-1867.

Tracey, D.H., & Morrow, L.M. (2017). Lenses on reading: An introduction to theories and

models. (3rd ed.). The Guilford Press.