Philosophy of Teaching

    Stop asking “what type of world will we leave our children?” and start asking “what type of children will we leave to this world?” One day, I heard this quote and made me reflect on my responsibility as a teacher. I believe that this world needs children that are socially and emotionally well developed; children that are academically prepared for the new challenges of the upcoming years; children that care about other’s well-being, and look constantly for it; in summary, children that live up to their humanity. My mission as a teacher is to guide every child to the path that leads them to develop their full potential and create a safe environment where they are welcome to share their ideas and take learning risks. In order to face this challenge, I would like to team up with colleagues, parents, school administrators and community service providers to work together in the education of children from our community.

    Play is part of children's nature and it has a positive impact in children development. It helps children to develop social emotional, cognitive, and physical skills. As a future teacher, I will incorporate play-based learning in my classroom and give my students the opportunity to have fun and at the same time acquire skills that will prepare them for life. I will offer them different options of play-based learning in order to help children practice problem-solve skills, fine and motor skills, play alone or with others, etc. I will ensure that all children are learning in an enjoyable way.

     One of the concepts that I will keep in mind when designing my classroom and my lessons is The Universal Design for Learning. It is very important to be sure that all students can access and participate in learning activities regardless their abilities and needs. I will have physical work spaces where every child can have access to all the needed materials to learn and play. It is very important to make every student feel they are part of the class and not to feel excluded because of their abilities or needs. To accomplish this goal, it is very important to create an environment where all students work together by respecting and helping each other as a team.

     Learning behavior is another important concept that I consider necessary to include in my classroom. I believe that learning behavior is as important as learning content. “I had one student who could even do quadratic equations in his head, while he was behind bars.” This is a quote that I read on my classroom management textbook and makes me reflect on how important is to teach our students about appropriate behavior. As teachers, we need to understand that molding their behavior is an important requirement to prepare students for learning; they could be smart to do Math but not to avoid in getting in trouble with the law. In order to bring out the best of every student, it is essential to connect with each of them. This will help me as a teacher to choose the adequate strategies for designing and maintaining a positive classroom environment. I would like my students to feel safe and this is something that challenging kids need most. I am sure that there will be some challenging kids in my future class. I will do my best to teach them appropriate behavior in a safe and structured environment. I am not saying that teaching content is not important but when students learn how to behave, it is easier for them to learn content. Students need to feel that we care for them, that they are teachable and worthy of kindness.