My Teaching Philosophy

I will be dedicated to having my teaching make a significant, positive difference in my students’ lives. In my classroom, I will instill a “Love of Learning” within all my students; and will always show my personal passion for learning. The teaching in my classroom will be linked to a Multicultural Appreciation in an Eco-Friendly Environment.  Additionally, Educational Technology is an important aspect of my teaching philosophy.

I will support technology in my classroom with its ever-changing applications and current standards.  I will bring as many web 2.0 and multimedia sources to my young student population, as possible, to help integrate them into our Tech-Savvy world.  I would like to use OneMoreStory to incorporate a different type of Interactive Read-Aloud weekly.  My students will be able to experience influential actors reading books in a dynamic way.  I will implement a quarterly project at grade level including a Pen Pal program with a school across the Pacific Ocean, possibly using Wikispaces.  Also, students will have opportunities to explore technology in their own way through Kidspiration, PhotoStory, SurveyMonkey, etc.

I will promote an Open Door Policy with parents, colleagues - and especially with my students. I will endeavor to build a Partnership with parents, one that will create a smooth transition for students between home and school. I believe in communicating with the parents and previous teachers of each student; and will be conducting informal student conferences. These tactics will enable me to gain a greater sense of the students’ attitudes toward learning. To develop an even better understanding of the students’ feelings while in my classroom, I will utilize Morning Meetings, Team Building/Community Activities, and Formal Student Conferences. My excellent listening and diagnostic skills will ultimately become a meaningful benefit to my students.

The First Six Weeks of School will be the most crucial days of the year. During this interval I will encourage my students to explore ideas and subjects through the proper use of just-right and look books, visual arts, technology, sensory and dramatic play. I will always be observing the students’ interests, behaviors, and interactions with their peers.

As I teach the wonderful youth of our community, I will steer-clear of demanding respect; rather, I will be focused on earning the respect of my students. In my classroom, I will lead students through a Guided Discovery of respect, trust, and caring.

My teaching approach will be student-focused; primarily dealing with their needs, through a solid understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. I will be a risk-taking teacher, and will use out-of-the-box thinking to improve the students’ rate of learning. My approach for achieving above-norm learning in my classroom can be summarized as follows:

Student Interests + Teaching Creativity + State Standards = Effective Lesson Plans.

My strong, natural abilities in Organization, Attention-to-Detail, and Planning will enable me to produce an exceptional overall plan for the school year. At the same time, however, I feel that my flexibility and willingness to direct students to become lifelong learners, will be an important component of my success in the classroom.

I will always be striving to be a more effective teacher - by using my free time to read, travel, and exercise. These three activities will keep me at optimum both physically and mentally; which will result in me bringing Positive Energy into the classroom.