The Statement Of Teaching Philosophy

As every individual is unique, getting to understand the students’ characteristics, knowledge and cultural background are essential requirements for encouraging their development and learning (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, 2012). In order to achieve the above requirements, a strong and positive relationship with students is the effective way for teachers to build up a holistic picture of a student (Groundwater-Smith, Ewing & Le Cornu, 2015a; Nixon & Gould, 2005). The various recorded interactions and observations between teachers and students made during the professional experience, have helped me to understand how students learn and have strengthened my ability to plan and implement lessons (Arthur et al., 2012).

As a future educator, it is the my job to educate all students through means of teaching that enable students to be successful in health, fitness, leadership, character development, and accountability for their regular lives outside of school.

My philosophy of education is to ensure the dynamics of the classroom providing continued support to ensure a positive learning environment, while providing instruction for all learners and to inspire my students to be productive members of society.

I see students as the next generations’ heroes in so many fields. In my vision, I have to inspire students and prepare them with confidence, knowledge, experience and skills. Which means I encourage, communicate, guide, teach, and assess students in order to enrich their infrastructures.

Like many others from my graduating class, I left college and headed for the fast track world of law and finance. After two years crunching numbers, juggling real estate projects and emerging from Black Monday in October 1987 relatively unscathed, I realized I hated my job. Landing a teaching position at Fessenden School became a watershed event in my life. Looking back over the past years, I fully realize that teaching is an essential part of me. Michael Thompson, once said, "There are some teachers who are effective and know why, others who aren 't effective and don 't know why, and a third are effective, but aren 't quite sure why." After five years at Fessenden, I felt like the latter. Therefore, I decided to attend graduate school in order to become a more effective educator. Theory, practicum, and research aside, graduate school was an epiphany for me. It confirmed in me that leading a school was more than a choice; it was a calling.

More importantly, creating positive student-teacher relationships can prevent discipline issues from arising. By establishing a persistent tone of mutual respect, students will participate in class activities with confidence that they and their opinions are valued. Students also should be taught how to appreciate the unique contributions each student brings to the class, as well as how to effectively resolve issues that may arise. I believe that demonstrating genuine respect to students and showing interest in their concerns will allow the effective use of instructional time, positive relationships to prevail, and minimal discipline problems to avail.

Education is defined as the lifelong process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and values through either formal means, such as schooling, or informal means, such as firsthand experiences or vicarious experiences gained through reading books or discussions. Every person that is or wants to be a teacher has his or her own educational philosophy. We all have our own views, methods, and curriculum that we were taught when growing up. A lot of people may have the same teachers in school, but all of them learn different things from that teacher.

I believe that education extends far beyond the classroom walls, and involves many more people than students and teachers. People should be learning wherever they go, and should continue learning long after they’ve graduated from high school or college. Education isn’t something that can be quantified with tests or report cards, but is instead something that people carry with them. It’s a survival pack for life, and some people are better equipped in certain areas than in others. People with a solid education are prepared for nearly anything, as they will be able to provide for their own physical, emotional, and aesthetic needs.

Every teacher has a different method of teaching. The teachers that I have had in my school career have been no exception. In this way, each teacher has set an example for me, as a future teacher, to follow or not to follow as I see fit. With the examples from my teachers and in continuing my education, I am developing my own method of teaching. I plan to use a combination of teaching methods in my own classroom. My method will be an eclectic approach because I will be using components of more than one philosophy. I will be using essentialism, behaviorism, progressivism, and existentialism.

My philosophy of teaching is deeply rooted in nurturing the potential each and every student in my classes. Providing a creative environment that allows self assessment, growth, group interaction and mentorship are at its very core. Having taught in Higher Education for many years, and as an instructor of Media Arts and Animation, and Game Design, I have had the amazing opportunity to work with some of the brightest and creative young professionals. Teaching has not only broadened my love of art and exploration, but my determination to help students that do not have the confidence to persevere through their education, yet have the passion to follow their dreams.

“I have neither given nor received, nor have I tolerated others ' use of unauthorized aid.”

Every August, a group of second graders enter my classroom. I teach them how to read and write, tie their shoes, and by June, make sure they are prepared for third grade. In the middle of last school year, I received a new student. She was a beautiful, bubbly little girl. I soon learned she was terminally ill and one of her last wishes was to return to school. I was incredibly humbled her parents were entrusting their daughter into my care and sharing her with me during what would be her last days. In those months to follow, I learned how fragile life could be. For Avery*, there was no next year; and the biggest days of her life were playing out right in front of me. I slowed things down and didn’t push quite so hard. I gave an extra 15 minutes for recess, just because the weather was nice and the sky was pretty. I would sit on the rug and read three stories in a row until my voice gave out, because the children were loving the performance. I knew it was my job to be joyful. Children aren’t supposed to die. We all know and believe this truism. But the reality is, sometimes children do die. Avery’s* passing profoundly impacted not only my entire class, but me as an educator. Her passing taught me that every moment matters. Whether a child has one year left in life, or many, the memories they make now will impact their future.

As I progress in my undergraduate studies, I find myself growing an appreciation for education and lifelong learning. I did not always know that I wanted to be an educator and perhaps I did not initially choose this path for the right reasons, but throughout this process, I have found that I have had a change in the source of my motivation. When I first stepped foot into the classroom as an educator, I was intimidated, I was nervous, and I had doubts in my decision to spend the rest of my life standing in front of a classroom, teaching a room full of children. It was not until I was able to make a connection with each of the students that I began to realize that teaching is so much more than being an instructor. Teachers are an inspiration; teachers are supportive; they are a positive influence, an academic advisor, a life coach, and are encouraging; teachers are not just an instructor. Through my various field placements at Newcomer Academy, Louis E. Dieruff High School, and Southern Lehigh High School, including my teaching experience at Lehigh Valley Summerbridge, I have established a desire to teach a diverse group of students from various economic and cultural backgrounds. My teaching philosophy is developed to foster an environment that supports these types of learners.

I consider and know that children are the future of our world; we have to know how to teach and educate them adequately so they could be prepared to lead future generations. I consider that each child has its own way of learning; there are multiple ways in which a person could be intelligent and capable of completing tasks. I want to be able to help children with everything they need. I want to motivate them to do and be the best in every task and area, everything that they dream and think about, to persuade their dreams and never give up no matter how hard they think it is or how difficult becomes trough the way. I don’t want to be the type of teacher that goes through the school year teaching what I have to and limit my capabilities to show them things and lessons useful for their lives, I want every child that goes to my classroom, leave it at the end of the year with instructions or lessons that make them better persons. Additionally, think that it’s important to have a good balance between discipline and kindness with students, it’s important to have a good relationship with the students because in that way is easier to communicate with them; if they have any problems or trouble learning a lesson or something in the content, if they have a good communication and relationship with you, it will be easier for them to tell you about what is causing them trouble. In some cases, when the educator is strong and teaches with hard discipline, the students tend to evade them and

My teaching philosophy is to create an environment that stimulates learning so that students gain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to become proficient professionals. While teaching foundational knowledge is important, there are other essential skills and abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully transition from being a student to becoming a physical therapy professional. These skills and abilities include thinking critically as well as interacting and communicating effectively with patients and other health care practitioners. I emphasize to students that it is imperative to realize the impact of developing a therapeutic rapport with patients while providing quality, patient-centered care to optimize the healing process. Therefore, when deciding what to teach, I not only consider the content presented, but also how I can foster discussions with students so that they can apply information based on varying contextual factors. I also attempt to provide students a framework for how to achieve professional excellence, which I aim to model as I fulfill my roles and responsibilities as a teacher and provider of clinical instruction. This framework is rooted in five central tenets: