Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is centered around providing equal opportunity for all students

within my classroom. Every student learns in their own unique way, and they deserve all of the

support their teacher and school system have to offer while navigating through their academic

career. As a future educator, it will be my responsibility to provide students with the necessary

tools for success, both inside and outside of our content area. This claim is supported by the

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principles and Standards, which guides teachers

toward a higher-quality mathematics education and strives for continuous improvement in the

education system. Under these Principles and Standards, the following themes are addressed;

equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and technology. The Equity Principle is

particularly relevant to my teaching philosophy. As stated in this principle, mathematics can and

should be learned by all students, and it is also important to note that some students may need

more support in this process than others. Each student is capable and worthy of a good education,

and it will be my role to guide them toward this in every way possible.

Students play an important role in this philosophy as well. While it is the teacher’s job to

help students reach their full academic potential, it is expected of them to put in just as much

effort toward their goals. Each student has content areas where they struggle and content areas

where they thrive, and it is the responsibility of both the teacher and the student to work together

toward the successful growth of knowledge in every area. The Michigan State Learning

Standards address mathematical practice standards, and further stress the importance of students’

effort. According to these standards, students should be able to make sense of problems and

develop problem solving skills, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct and critique viable

arguments, model with mathematics, use tools appropriately, attend to precision, find and use
 O’Rourke 2

structure, and look for and use regularity in reasoning. Teachers must provide students with the

foundation to meet these standards, but it is the student’s responsibility to be able to meet them

on their own, without the teacher’s assistance.

My teaching philosophy comes together to support what I believe to be the meaning of

education. Education goes beyond systematic instruction within a school. It is a lifelong process

and it will be my responsibility to spark students’ desire to learn and expand their knowledge.

Providing support for every student and their unique learning process is vital in following my

philosophy. Students deserve to be provided with equal opportunity in the classroom, and that is

one aspect of education that will always be prioritized in my career.