My Philosophy of Education

            I believe that teaching is like gardening, with knowledge being the water.  The teacher has to make sure that the children in his/her classroom grow, mature, and bloom to their full potential as both students and as citizens.  The ironic thing about cultivating both flowers and the mind, is that each typically responds best to the hands that tend them with faith, hope, and love. 

            I believe that all students have the ability to grow and learn under the right conditions.  Teachers play a vital role in the development of children.  What children learn and experience during their early years can shape their views of themselves and the world, as well as affect their later success or failure in school, work, and their personal lives.  By helping elementary school students learn to formulate principles and morals, I believe that I can make a difference in their lives. 

            As a future teacher, I know that I will work with students from various ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds.  I understand that all children differ in their cultural beliefs and value systems.  I will work diligently to be nonjudgmental of these differences and celebrate them instead.  I believe that it is important to reflect on my own personal values and in turn know how to work with people who hold different values.  I will initiate and cultivate out-of-class conversations with my students to get to know them personally, as well as invoke parental involvement by inviting parents to visit my classroom, making phone calls to the home, and forming a partnership and team approach to educating the students.  To be a successful teacher, I must seek support from parents and other teachers; two heads are better than one.  In collaborating with other teachers, we can share and develop ideas that will enhance our teaching strategies. 

            As a future teacher, one of my responsibilities will be to encourage students to take an active approach in their own learning.  Students learn by doing, so I will gain students’ cooperation in the classroom by establishing an environment where I will address the students’ cultural and ethnic needs, as well as their social, emotional, and cognitive needs.  Children learn mainly through play and interactive activities, so I will use games, music, art, films, books, computers, and other tools to teach such basic skills. 

            I am realistic and understand that good teaching comes from years of trial and error.  There is, and always will be, room for improvement.  I believe that teaching is about the students and the role of the teacher is to ensure that students learn to the best of their ability.  I believe that education is the “great equalizer” in our society and it is the teacher’s job to provide students with a quality education, just as it is a gardener’s job to provide his garden with fertilizer and water.