Teaching Philosophy
I decided on a teaching career many years ago but was delayed due to the fact that I started a family. When my son, Joshua, was ten years old I went back to school to realize my dream of a degree in education. It has taken me a number of years and two different colleges but I am now a certified teacher!
There were two particular teachers I had in my grade school years that had a significant impact on me and my life. After all these years, I still have fond memories of these two ladies and I hope that some day the children I teach will remember me in the same way. This is the basis of the personal philosophies I have adopted toward teaching. These ladies not only taught me through books, but more importantly they were role models and taught through their actions. Their genuine concern for me as a person had a profound impact on the kind of person I am today.
While I want my students to have fond memories, I don't mean I want them to only remember me as "a nice lady". I want them to have memories of me as a teacher that cared not only about their learning, but also about them as individuals. This is the foundation of my philosophy: Appreciate each student as an individual and foster their strengths. To do this I will embrace the diversity in my classroom and use it as a teaching tool for everyone.
Teaching Goals
As a new teacher in the field of education, I have set the following goals for myself:
- Learn the finer points of classroom management that cannot be instructed from a book, but only through real life experiences to include:
- Managing disruptive students on a daily basis
- Identifying individual student strengths and weaknesses
- Sharpening my time management skills while learning to maintain flexibility
- Increasing my comfort level presenting lessons
- Understanding my students on a personal level
- Transitioning between subjects
- Thoroughly indoctrinate myself to the daily routine of the teaching career.
- Improve my ability to differentiate my lessons and actively engage my students.
- Learn to effectively partner with my peers and the school’s support staff.
- Instill excitement about learning into my students' daily routine.
Goals in Special Education
Goals I have set specifically for Special Education include:
- Attain a better understanding of special needs students.
- Understand the unique challenges of Special Education.
- Learn advanced behaviorial management techniques from experienced Special Education teachers.
- Learn new and different accomodations for various disabilities.