Abstract: 
As both a student, and as a future educator, I feel that utmost among the most important concepts that affect a student’s learning is their sense of belonging and a feeling of safety within the classroom.  Consequently, I have developed a teaching style that assures students will feel comfortable with me and know that they are genuinely valued as individuals.  I believe that teachers should use humor in the classroom, listen to their students, and demonstrate an everlasting passion for learning.  When I have a classroom of my own, I will create a warm and welcoming environment, enabling students to learn to their fullest capability while actually enjoying their time at school.

 

Throughout all fifteen years of my schooling, I have been drawn to certain types of teachers.  Teachers that are engaging, use humor, listen to their students, and are genuinely caring and honest individuals are the ones that I remember fondly.  From an early age, I have known that I wanted to be a teacher.  I want to make a positive impact on the lives of children and share my love of learning and passion for education with students.  I want to be a teacher that students will think of later in their lives and remember me as having been a positive role model and an exceptional teacher.  I feel that it is imperative to set guidelines I will follow so that I can become the wonderful teacher that I aspire to be.  The word credo literally means “I believe” and the following is an explanation of what I believe and what I will do when I have a classroom of my own.

After answering surveys and reading about the six main teaching philosophies, I discovered I am a combination of three philosophies: existentialism, progressivism, and social reconstructionism.  Both existentialism and progressivism stress the importance of seeing the children in your classroom as individuals and helping them to focus and concentrate their education to fit their personal needs and desires.  Social reconstructionism focuses on changing and rebuilding society.  I also fit into this philosophical category because I believe in teaching pro-social values that will help create future positive members of society (Parkay 86-89).

I will never humiliate a child for any reason.  Students need to be able to feel free to make mistakes around their teacher.  By making mistakes, students are learning!  If a student does not feel comfortable or competent around a teacher, chances are the student will not reach their full potential because they will be limited by fear of failure and embarrassment.  Students must feel safe to venture into scary, unknown territory in order to learn as much as possible.  By knowing that their teacher will help protect them from humiliation, children are much more likely to take risks and attempt learning things that they find difficult to master.   I think that every “mistake” can be seen as a learning experience and that errors can always be viewed in a positive light. 

I will be a positive role model for my students.  If a teacher wants their students to be passionate about learning, the teacher has to also be an avid learner.  To raise honest and caring children, we need to be incredibly honest and copiously caring individuals ourselves. I believe teachers have a huge impact on the socialization and “shaping” of a child.  It has been shown that children learn from observation and imitation of others, so it is important that I, as an educator, conduct myself in a positive way at all times.  I should be able to be observed by my students at any given time, and not be embarrassed or ashamed of my actions or words.  Rafe Esquith, a Los Angeles elementary school teacher has a warning to other teachers and future teachers.  “Don’t even think of trying to deceive your kids.  They are much too sharp for that” (Esquith 10).

I will make my teaching enjoyable and engaging, not painful and boring for the students.  Creativity and humor can be abundantly used to help season a lesson and make it more appealing to students.  I know that sometimes, during a lengthy lecture, students do not pay attention and consequently, do not retain the information.  I truly believe that students learn better from interactive lesson plans than lectures.  When you make a subject relevant to a student and involve the student actively in the learning process, a student is more likely to listen and remember that knowledge.  According to a Florida teacher, if one is truly trying to engage students, educating in not always going to be a walk in the park. “Teaching is work.  It’s the hardest job there is.  Learning is work.  We try to make it enjoyable, interesting, exciting, motivating, relevant, palatable, etc. But any way you slice it, its work” (Newman 8).

I will make each student feel like an individual and acknowledge that they are special.  As teachers, we must frequently address the class as a whole.  Therefore it is imperative that teachers embrace uniqueness and are able to adapt lessons to better reach each student. As students walk into my classroom, I want them to feel accepted for who they are.  I will understand that each child has a unique history, their own style of learning, and distinct, individual abilities.  These characteristics must be taken into consideration when teaching.  I will remain flexible and use as many different approaches as necessary.  This need for me to cater to the individual shows my allegiance to the existentialism and progressivism philosophies of teaching.

I will be understanding of my students’ emotions and realize that there may be unseen factors that affect their behaviors and schoolwork.  Sometimes students will tell their teachers about difficult situations, but more often, a teacher has no idea what their students experience outside of school.  “Many school failures have little to do with what happens at school and a great deal to do with what happens (or fails to happen) at home” (Frase 11).  I will always remember that there may be reasons beyond the obvious for inappropriate or disruptive behaviors and take that into consideration when disciplining a student.

I will seek to enjoy each day and be a positive, optimistic, and uplifting person to be around.  It’s no secret that teaching is a difficult and stressful profession and that working with children all day can take a toll on people.  Therefore it is very important to stay positive and encouraging, even though you may feel very discouraged.  If you promote an optimistic outlook in your classroom, chances are that your students will feel hopeful as well.

I will listen when a child speaks.  No matter if it’s a comment regarding academics, or just a casual conversation, every interaction that you have with your students is crucial to their success.  Teachers need to be respectful of the student in order to be respected.  By listening attentively, you make that child feel valued and a child who feels valued will have more faith in their own abilities.  If you listen to what they have to say, hopefully they will listen to what you have to say.

I will find something to love in each child (no matter how difficult) and always remember that they are somebody’s precious child.  They might appear to be a snarly, apathetic teenager with a spiked collar and nails painted black, but underneath the tough exterior is some mother’s baby boy.  Every child is a miracle, and no matter how frustrated you may be with them, you still need to treat them as such.  See your opportunity to shape this child’s life as a blessing, not a burden.  Finding at least one quality to truly love in each child will soften my heart and help me to treat them with the tenderness and care all children deserve.  Focusing on something good about each student will help me remain positive in my approach.

I will teach not only the academic subject matter, but I will also teach pro-social values so that the student will be a successful and contributing member of society.  School is not only to teach students basic arithmetic and language skills; school also has another purpose.  Schooling is a way to train students to become strong and self-reliant members of society.  With today’s breakdown of families, increased drug use, early sexual behaviors, poverty, and other social problems, teachers wind up helping students cope with much more than just reading and writing.  I will make sure I incorporate life lessons in self-respect, kindness, and safety in with the traditional academics.  By teaching pro-social values, I am somewhat displaying the social reconstructionism philosophy outlined by Parkay and Stanford in their text, Becoming a Teacher. 

I will use humor when appropriate and make my classroom an inviting, comfortable environment.  I want students to be excited to come into my classroom and learn.  I realize it’s important to maintain a professional relationship with the students, but I also think that you need to connect with them on a personal level.  I feel that a good way to put people at ease around you is to use appropriate humor.  Students feel more comfortable when interactions and lessons are more informal, and I think that students are more likely to listen if they are entertained by what you are saying as a teacher.  I will never, however, make a joke or comment about an individual student.  I have had teachers who did that, trying to be amusing, but they wound up hurting the student’s feelings more than they could imagine.

As a teacher, I hope to impact children not only as individuals, but also create a more positive and productive society in the future.  I believe that it is important to focus on individual students and help them to learn in any way that I can.  I plan on not only teaching the academic subject areas, but also teach students how to become dynamic members of society.  Teaching is not an easy job, but positive and eager people are needed to educate the youth.  By sticking to these expectations for myself, I will be able to become an effective teacher and positive role model for my students.

 

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