Teaching Philosophy
I believe that learning only occurs when students feel comfortable in an environment. It is my role as the educator to make that happen. A comfortable environment is a place that is safe and welcoming. It is a place that allows students to embrace who they are. Once this is established, children will actually be able to take advantage of what they are being taught and only then is true learning occurring. I also believe the students have to be interested in the content to be able to fully learn it. This too is my job as the teacher, and it connects with having a comfortable environment. In a comfortable environment, the teacher is able to have personal relationships with each student and can understand their individual interests and needs.
The teacher has the main role in inspiring children to learn. The first step, as already mentioned, is creating a comfortable environment. This can be done by creating a pleasing classroom setting, laying ground rules, and coming up with a class mission statement. The attitude of the teacher also plays a big role, as students will begin to model what they see. This leads to the next role a teacher has, which is making connections with each student. The teacher needs to find out the hobbies, interests and favorite things of their students to show them they care. Once this happens, the student will be even more motivated to do well, because they’ll want to impress you, much like they want to impress their parents.
My goal as a teacher is to make each student feel like they are important. When they step in my classroom, I want them to forget about anything that could be bothering them at home, and instead feel welcomed and important. My goal is to help students find ways to motivate themselves that don’t always involve extrinsic rewards given to them. By the end of the year, they should want to learn, instead of feeling like they have to learn. I want every student in my classroom to succeed in a way that is unique to them. Each student has different needs and individual struggles, so whatever those may be, I want them to find success in them.
In order to make this happen, I will not only be a teacher to these students, but I will be a role model and friend. I do believe in being strict, because learning how to follow directions is an extremely important skill, but I also know when fun needs to be had. If a child is misbehaving. I believe in addressing the problem right away to stop the problem at its roots. Also, to make my classroom comfortable, I will create a safe space in one corner. The safe space will be a restricted place with cozy seating and privacy, where kids can go to cool down or de-stress. I think this helps the learning process, because it is difficult for students to learn when they’re frustrated or over stimulated.
Educational
Statement
I am currently working towards getting my Bachelor of Science in Education at Indiana University. Growing up, I always knew I wanted a job that would allow me to lead others toward success, work alongside others toward a common goal, and make a difference in my community. I quickly found that successful teachers can fulfill every single one of these roles. My education thus far has proven that statement to be true because every teacher education class I have taken has been centered around the idea of being a leader in your classroom and school community. The classes that stand out to me the most are Communications for Youth Serving Professionals, Elementary Educators for a Pluralistic Society, and Introduction to Educational Thought. These classes required me to think about why I wanted to be a teacher on a deeper level. I had to consider the importance of service in the community, for both myself as a teacher and for my students, and specifically how to encourage service when some students may lack important resources. I had to analyze and rewrite lesson plans to be inclusive, diverse, and break normalized stereotypes to ensure that all students’ history and backgrounds are reflected in the curriculum. Taking part in discussions that encouraged collaboration, leadership, and service inspired me to join Urban Needs In Teacher Education (UNITE). UNITE is a student-led organization at IU that prepares future teachers to overcome the challenges of high-needs schools by participating in community service activities, listening to public speakers, holding valuable workshops, and visiting local schools and communities. During my time as the Outreach Coordinator, UNITE participated in the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation for middle- and high-school students, ran by Dr. Power Carter at the School of Education. This experience allowed me to use my education from IU and apply it through community service.
One of my short-term goals is to become more involved with the new IU student group White Rose. They recently asked me to design a flyer for their service project for Shalom Community Center in Bloomington. This project collects dental grab-bags from local dentist offices and supplies them to homeless people in the area. I plan on volunteering with them for future projects and applying for their marketing/social media position.
My long-term goal is to become an elementary school teacher in Avon, Indiana. While teaching, I hope to make an impact in both the school and the community. One way I’d like to do that is by being a middle school basketball coach in the school district. I could use my position as a coach to hold free basketball camps for students, sponsor student and team-led service projects, and instill a hard work ethic in my players, which basketball gave me growing up. I would also like to volunteer with the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Seminar (HOBY). HOBY’s mission is to provide lifelong leadership development opportunities that empower youth to achieve their highest potential and gain knowledge of leadership skills. I plan on returning to the weekend-long seminar as an alumni staff member to give high school students all over Indiana a passion for service, leadership, and teamwork. Lastly, I would also like to return to IU as an Armstrong Teacher Educator. Armstrong Teacher Educators take an active role in shaping the next generation of teachers, which means traveling to Bloomington to participate in panel discussions of current issues in education, as well as inviting IU students to their own classrooms to observe and learn. Since my freshman year at IU, I have always attended the Armstrong Teacher panels. Each year, I leave with a strong reminder about why I want to teach, with a burning passion to help all students be successful, and with a drive to work even harder towards being an effective teacher. My goal is to become that teacher that future IU students can look up to and be inspired by.