My Teaching Philosophy

My goal as a teacher is to help children experience the joy of learning. By connecting lessons to their lives, guiding them rather than telling them, and taking advantage of teachable moments; I try to help the students see that learning is important. It is probably my love of learning and connection to the children that observers notice the most about me.

I truly get excited about new ideas. When students make discoveries, I am ecstatic! For example, a bright, yet unmotivated pupil from my pre-student teaching experience tried to find another way to divide. He really worked at it. His system worked for some numbers, but not all. He got all of the other students excited about figuring out math. He even exclaimed that he was a math-matist. I could not have been happier.

Connecting school work to life is also a part of my philosophy . For example, in an introductory lesson on division, there was a problem regarding how many $7 shirts one could buy with $40. I gave the students 40 (fake) dollars and set up the real-life scenario. Here it is: You see this shirt that you really, really like. In fact, you want to buy as many of them as you can. Count out your money to see how many you can get. They thought this was cool. Next we moved it to, "How many sets of 7 did you get?" I wrote on the board, 40 divided by 7 equals 6 with 4 left over. How many shirts could you get? 6. Another example I think I could try would be, "You and two friends find a twenty dollars on the ground. How can you split it?" They could make change and divide the money. I think lesson openers like these really get the kids to understand that learning is valuable to their lives.

I also build in opportunities for students to demonstrate self-efficacy, independence, as well as cooperation throughout our time together. For example, my fourth grade class did a "Pat Yourself on the Back" activity. Students were asked to trace their hands, write their names, and list five things that they are good at. These artifacts were placed on a student-designed bulletin board for the whole class to see. Additionally, I encourage self-esteem by giving students the
                                 opportunity to do great things in the classroom. For example,
                                 while I was teaching fourth grade I had each child participate in a responsib                committee. Our class of nine year-olds became the
                                 photographers, the Monster Contest Committee, the Stars, the
                                 Give Yourself a Pat on the Back group, the actors, and the
                                 graphic designers. With my assistance and time, they were able to achieve something special. They felt so good to be recognized by the class for their hard work.

Finally, I feel it is important that children learn that sharing, taking turns, treating people with respect, and listening are just as important as getting a good grade on a test. I think that it is necessary to talk about these things, model them, and express to the students that these things are crucial to learning and having a happy life.

Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium. (2001). Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium Standards . [http://www.teralink.com/~shar/Portfolio/INTASC.html] (4/15/01).