My Education Philosophy
My philosophy of education explains the core of what I believe, the purpose behind my craft, and most importantly the foundation of my teaching. In essence it explains why I do what I do.
I can tell you in one word why I do what I do and that word is “students.” It is so easy to lose sight of that especially in light of what is going on in public education today, but as long as I hold fast onto this word, I will consistently perform best practices. As long as I hold fast onto this word, I will be fueled even when I feel immense pressure from every direction. As long as I hold fast onto this word, both myself and my students will succeed.
I gift my students the gift of words because that is all I can afford to give them, but also because it is one of the most precious and intimate gifts I can pass onto them. Throughout the course of time I have with each of my students, I gift them a quote that I feel is relevant to them. While some have found the words meaningless and tossed it in the recycling bin, others have adopted the quotes as their personal mantras, which have propelled them onto the next leg of their journey. One student returned this gesture by gifting me a quote that was explained to be an embodiment of who I was as a teacher. I have since adopted this quote as one of my personal educational philosophies. The quote reads, “A teacher’s purpose is not to create students in his or her own image, but to develop students who can create their own image.” I am limited to what I can do for my students because I am just one person. I don’t want them to depend on me. I want them to stand up as independent individuals.The only thing I can do for them is to give them the tools to succeed. My purpose is to equip them to develop their own identities and purposes according to not what I want for them, but for what they want for themselves. In order to accomplish this, it is vital that we develop a relational community of trust. But before this can be done, it is essential that my students unlearn their prior perception of school, education, as well as teachers.
Unlearn to Learn.
Learning is not meant to be stale. Learning is meant to be creative, fun, engaging, and accessible. The learning environment must be conducive to this or else we can’t change the fact that our students hate school. Our classroom is set up so that it is inviting. The blue and green colors of the walls and the oak bookshelves along the back wall transforms the once stark white institutional room into a place where students are excited to learn and create. The classroom belongs to the community of students and teacher and not just the teacher. The walls are decorated with personalized artwork from students and they change every term. The books of the classroom library are generally collected from student requests and materials are always available to students. While the environment is important, it cannot stand alone.
Character & Identity.
Our classroom community focuses on the individual as well as the community. Through the study of character strengths, students begin to explore what makes them who they are. Students explore their gifts and talents, their abilities, as well as the legacy they want to leave. We explore how the character strengths of zest, self-control, gratitude, curiosity, optimism, grit, and social intelligence can help us on our individual journeys as well as our collective voyage. We constantly reflect as individuals and as a community to see how we can accomplish the goals we have set before us. Our classroom is a place where everyone belongs and everyone works together. Through the art of collaboration, students work together in diverse groups to learn how to function as a collective unit for a common goal. We celebrate victories together as well as trudge through difficult moments together.
High expectations.
I expect my students to succeed just as I expect to succeed. While I ask a lot from my students, I also provide them with everything they need to succeed and more often than not they surpass my expectations. At the beginning of every new term students feel slightly overwhelmed by what is demanded of them. But in no time at all they realize that they can take on the task and that they are not alone. They start to aim high with me and begin figuring out how to achieve these goals by themselves. There is no greater feeling than to watch this process unfold student after student. As I watch my students, I know that they are why I do what I do.
I believe that as long as I create an environment where students want to work, whether it is the physical environment or the relational environment, I can set forth high expectations and they will continue to surpass it because they have the resources as well as a community to support and guide them. I can’t do it for them, but I can show them where to look. The rest is up to them. Why do I do what I do? It always goes back my first word. Students.
I can tell you in one word why I do what I do and that word is “students.” It is so easy to lose sight of that especially in light of what is going on in public education today, but as long as I hold fast onto this word, I will consistently perform best practices. As long as I hold fast onto this word, I will be fueled even when I feel immense pressure from every direction. As long as I hold fast onto this word, both myself and my students will succeed.
I gift my students the gift of words because that is all I can afford to give them, but also because it is one of the most precious and intimate gifts I can pass onto them. Throughout the course of time I have with each of my students, I gift them a quote that I feel is relevant to them. While some have found the words meaningless and tossed it in the recycling bin, others have adopted the quotes as their personal mantras, which have propelled them onto the next leg of their journey. One student returned this gesture by gifting me a quote that was explained to be an embodiment of who I was as a teacher. I have since adopted this quote as one of my personal educational philosophies. The quote reads, “A teacher’s purpose is not to create students in his or her own image, but to develop students who can create their own image.” I am limited to what I can do for my students because I am just one person. I don’t want them to depend on me. I want them to stand up as independent individuals.The only thing I can do for them is to give them the tools to succeed. My purpose is to equip them to develop their own identities and purposes according to not what I want for them, but for what they want for themselves. In order to accomplish this, it is vital that we develop a relational community of trust. But before this can be done, it is essential that my students unlearn their prior perception of school, education, as well as teachers.
Unlearn to Learn.
Learning is not meant to be stale. Learning is meant to be creative, fun, engaging, and accessible. The learning environment must be conducive to this or else we can’t change the fact that our students hate school. Our classroom is set up so that it is inviting. The blue and green colors of the walls and the oak bookshelves along the back wall transforms the once stark white institutional room into a place where students are excited to learn and create. The classroom belongs to the community of students and teacher and not just the teacher. The walls are decorated with personalized artwork from students and they change every term. The books of the classroom library are generally collected from student requests and materials are always available to students. While the environment is important, it cannot stand alone.
Character & Identity.
Our classroom community focuses on the individual as well as the community. Through the study of character strengths, students begin to explore what makes them who they are. Students explore their gifts and talents, their abilities, as well as the legacy they want to leave. We explore how the character strengths of zest, self-control, gratitude, curiosity, optimism, grit, and social intelligence can help us on our individual journeys as well as our collective voyage. We constantly reflect as individuals and as a community to see how we can accomplish the goals we have set before us. Our classroom is a place where everyone belongs and everyone works together. Through the art of collaboration, students work together in diverse groups to learn how to function as a collective unit for a common goal. We celebrate victories together as well as trudge through difficult moments together.
High expectations.
I expect my students to succeed just as I expect to succeed. While I ask a lot from my students, I also provide them with everything they need to succeed and more often than not they surpass my expectations. At the beginning of every new term students feel slightly overwhelmed by what is demanded of them. But in no time at all they realize that they can take on the task and that they are not alone. They start to aim high with me and begin figuring out how to achieve these goals by themselves. There is no greater feeling than to watch this process unfold student after student. As I watch my students, I know that they are why I do what I do.
I believe that as long as I create an environment where students want to work, whether it is the physical environment or the relational environment, I can set forth high expectations and they will continue to surpass it because they have the resources as well as a community to support and guide them. I can’t do it for them, but I can show them where to look. The rest is up to them. Why do I do what I do? It always goes back my first word. Students.