Philosophy of Education

I believe the purpose of education is to give children the knowledge and experiences they need to succeed in life. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to motivate students to learn. I develop curriculum, based on the state standards, using real life experiences with an emphasis on multicultural learning. My lessons teach problem solving techniques and encourage students to learn through discovery and experimentation.

I consider the wide scope of abilities my students possess, and then I teach skills to ensure equity in culture, gender, and language through modeling and promoting respect. I work with the knowledge students already have and build upon that. This helps them to discover their strengths and apply their previous knowledge. My students and I are part of a classroom community. We respect each other, work, and grow together.

Effective classroom management is one of the most important skills for a teacher to develop because it paves the road for learning and growth in every classroom. As a teacher, I create an environment that contributes to dynamic and powerful learning. A sense of security is provided for my students through organization and order. By implementing positive reinforcements with appropriate rewards and incentives, students become motivated. By communicating my expectations clearly and incorporating the use of routines rather than rules, students know what to expect and feel safe. I also create a curriculum that is challenging for my students, yet still allows them to succeed. By creating a curriculum that motivates students to participate and become involved, students become active participants in their own learning. The result is that their self-esteem rises and they become self-motivated.

Successful classroom management begins from day one in my classroom. The relationships I build with my students help create a positive and safe classroom environment. This allows students to feel safe asking questions, making mistakes, and exploring new knowledge. My classroom is a community in which the students learn how to work together as a team. This is taught through cooperative learning, TRIBES, and other community building activities. This helps the students develop a sense of responsibility for themselves and their classmates.