Educational Philosophy

My educational philosophy reflects a fun, hands on, and challenging environment. I believe that students need to be excited to learn and that comes from a teacher who is excited about the material they are presenting. He or she must believe and be passionate about what they are doing so that they may create an impact on the students. Each lesson should be evaluated and presented in a way that every type of learner will benefit from it. I also believe that we need to challenge and not coddle our students. We cannot enable an “I can’t” attitude but rather help students find their own way that they can. Albert Einstein said “If you judge a fish by his ability to climb a tree, he will go on his whole life believing that he is stupid.” All of our students may not be good at everything, but they are all good at something. We may be the only positive role model that they have in their lives and the only one who believes that they are worthy of a future. We have a responsibility to be their support in finding what they are passionate about. When it comes to classroom management, I believe it is very important that the students know that you are their teacher and not there to be their friend; but at the same time, be approachable. We have to have respect, not fear. Stay consistent on classroom rules from day one and with each student. I have worked in two different after school programs for four years and I know how easy it is to have “favorites” but it is so important that every child is treated the same (to a certain degree; I know some instances are not comparable to others.)