Philog 10 Theory of Impact

My reason for teaching is to give children the tools with which to cultivate their own gardens of knowledge. To accomplish this goal, I will teach to the needs of each child so that all learners can feel capable and successful.  My constant goal as an educator is to ensure every student reaches his or her full academic potential and to educate, motivate and inspire students to value lifelong learning. My goal is also to create interest an excitement.  I want the students to come to class looking forward to being there.

As the role model I know that I must be as excited and enthusiastic to be there as I want my students to be. I also want to be the teacher that they remember later in life that encouraged and inspired their own greatness. I never had a teacher that cared about the students or would go out of their way to help them achieve a higher expectation. I want my students to know that they just need to believe in themselves and they can do anything.

Phlog 9

http://www.proteacher.net

Above is a blog site that I found that is a wealth of information. You can pick grade levels and subjects of different levels of teachers from across the country. Most of the teachers have not posted any personal philosophy but they discuss their classroom.  I will be using this blog site as there are veteran teachers and new teachers. The discussions are relevant to the classroom and curriculum for everyday teaching. This form of blog is a great collaboration for teachers. You get ideas and find resources from others that are in different areas of the country. I hope to use both forms of research when it comes to my classroom. With this site and the vast coverage of subjects and grades this is the best working site. I actually joined the blog site (since its free).

Philog 8

After our reading of A Framework for Understanding Poverty I thought back to last year as a first year teacher. Most of my students fit into one or more of the scenarios. My beliefs are every student can learn but as educators we need to make sure we step up to help the ones that need more support. One example is to provide the library trip from our own school library. To make a student have to go to a public library to get a book is not right. Schools spend money on the books the students should be able to utilize it to the fullest. For me to bridge the gap, I will provide as many of the opportunities that I can without putting a strain on the family. One of the strategies that I would apply is to provide what I can for them. An example is I recently went to Wal-Mart and purchased a large quantity of composition books and spiral notebooks. Next trip will be for pencils, pens and erasers. Iam willing to help my students that are less fortunate. I also want a safe environment for my students. By making a set of rules for the student and letting them know that Iam there for them. If I know what the students background is like I will work my lesson plans so that they can get support and any help they need at school, so that they can succeed.

Philog #6

Personal Philosophy of Education

     I believe that the true goal of education is the realization of one’s potential, that one’s personal human potential is the full expression of authentic self in relation to truth in community, and that realizing one’s personal potential depends on a reliable foundation of accurate self-knowledge.  Education is not a group of classes containing a series of facts to be used on a test and then forgotten. Education is a series of tools that students use every day in the classroom and in the real world. The English language is the primary language of the United States and people use it to communicate throughout the world. Yet, many students have difficulty using the language properly. As an educator, I would like to make a difference and help students write better and use proper grammar and punctuation. All students are capable of learning and learning about language does not mean students simply learn a series of rules. Using the language is the key to understanding it.

      I believe that a teacher knows which style of teaching to utilize depending on which class s/he is teaching.  It is an inherent intuition possessed by all good teachers.  Whether it is strictly demonstrator, facilitator, or delegator, or even a combination of all or some, the teacher modifies herself/himself to suit the needs of the students.  The modification has become the purpose of the teacher in a classroom.  This modification helps to ensure that students have a better learning experience in the classroom.  A teacher’s job is not only to educate the students, but to also have students feel that joy that comes from learning and being innovative; “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge,” stated by Albert Einstein.             In order for students to feel comfortable volunteering their ideas, especially for difficult concepts, I want to promote a warm, safe learning environment.  Whenever a student provides an answer, no other student should be allowed to be disrespectful.  In doing so, it would discourage further answering in the future.  The classroom will only tolerate respect from teacher to student, student to teacher, and student to student.  Regardless of the student’s religion, race, or sexual orientation, every answer should be valuable and appreciated. 

      I anticipate my personal philosophy of education will take on different frames over time, but

regardless, it will guide my career as an educator. In order to act upon my beliefs and put them into action, I will carry out the following:

1. Teach in a manner that espouses the purpose of education is to enhance personal growth among students, to facilitate self-actualization, and to give learners practical knowledge and problem-solving

2. Follow principles which include allowing the learners’ experiences into the classroom and use

those experiences to enhance their learning process.

3. Allow students to take an active role in learning by being involved in planning learning

projects.

4. Support the learning process by partnering in the teaching-learning exchange.

5. Promote critical thinking through experiential, cooperative, and collaborative learning.

6. Work to promote freedom and autonomy in the adult learning process, as well as individuality,

authenticity and personal meaning making.

7. Engage in interpersonal communication with students, openness and teaching-learning

exchange.

8. Practice active listening and active inquiry that supports the students and their learning process.

9. Encourage students to be pro-active, open their minds to the world, and work for social change.

10. Practice teaching with humility.

Philog @5

When we were discussing privilege in class the sheet that was handed to us was not new to me. I had reviewed and had a class discussion on it some years ago.  Growing up in a white middle class home and community I never thought about what was a privilege.  I lived my life blindly.  After years of being on my own and a single parent of two, I learned the value of education. I found I didn’t have a good enough education that would pay well enough to support me and two kids.  Since I see the value of an education I want my students to understand how important it is. They can achieve anything if they set their minds to it. I want to be there to support and encourage students to go for their dreams. My favorite saying has always been:  Keep Smiling and Reaching for Your Dreams!!!   I want to teach the special education students, they are the most misunderstood student in middle school.  I find that they have been called stupid and so many other names that they have low self-esteem.   I want to be there to support them and show that they can be something.