Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle

As an educator, I approach my responsibilities and values very seriously. The following big ideas are the foundation to my teaching philosophy and the basis to how I will approach everything in my classroom.

***Please also see my page on Growth Mindset/Mindfulness in addition to this page for my philosophy on teaching.

Safety and Freedom to Take Risks-The most important philosophy in which I approach my responsibilities as an educator is the passionate belief that students must feel comfortable, safe, successful, and unique in order to grow and learn. For students to achieve personal growth, and feel valued for it, is incredibly important to me as an educator. In my classroom, all students will understand their personal worth and that safety will allow them to grow, learn, and take risks in their education.

All Students Can Learn- I believe that all children can learn, and that it best occurs through scaffolding, connecting to students’ lives and social interaction. I hold strongly the notion that learning is always possible, if students are given the right tools and hold a constructive attitude. With this disposition I approach my responsibilities, and I cannot let students fail.

Optimistic community- An overall positive learning environment is a crucial pillar to my teaching philosophy. The teacher’s attitude is always reflected, and I want my entire classroom to understand that optimism and positivity are core values in our classroom. In that way, I will hold my students to high expectations, as I see their true value and potential. I also expect students to treat their peers in a way that reflects respect, friendliness and responsibility.

Students have meaningful options- When students have some control over what they are doing, they are more likely to do it. Different end products, tiered assignments, and self-selected reading materials are just a few ways to offer students choices and differentiate learning. Selecting tasks from a list, and including decision making in the daily learning process is an incredibly important part of my teaching philosophy.

Purposeful/intentional teaching- It is incredibly important that students know what success looks like, and I as the teacher provide modeling and feedback consistently. The students know what they are supposed to be learning and doing, and I plan lessons intentionally. The learning that takes place in our classroom is purposeful, and students know what is expected of them.

These five core beliefs will shape me as an educator, and I intend to implement them always in order to influence the lives and minds of my students, as well as build up their self-confidence and show them what success looks and feels like. Establishing an environment where students are engaged, self-motivated and safe to learn is the ultimate goal.

“Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.” -MLK