Philosophy Statement Reflection
As mentioned in my educational philosophy statement, as a teacher it is so hard to separate your personal educational experience from the type of experience you would like to create for your students. However, as I plan on teaching in an urban public school where the socio-economic levels are extremely different than those in the suburbs, it is difficult to recreate the same type of environment. My hope for my future students is for them to have the same childhood I had, but the fear is that they will struggle with obstacles that I never had to face. In some ways, seeing these challenges from an adult’s perspective removes me from the situation, making it harder to understand my students. My struggles as a student were limited and I had a team of supporters guiding the way. I know I can be that support system for my students, but where my parents were first in line in my educational process, I will be first in line for many of my students, if not the only one in line. I will try my hardest to recruit participatory parents each school year. I will go so far as holding a student’s report card ransom just to have a parent come in to conference with me. I will use all the tactics I can think of to get parents involved and join me as a main participant on their child’s support team. Yet, I know I will never be one hundred percent successful. How can I believe in a philosophy that I know is likely to fail for some students? I often struggle to come up with an answer to this question and to be honest I don’t have a definite answer. I know as a teacher I will always continue to keep parents informed and try to get them as involved as possible. But for those parents that I don’t seem to reach, I will work extra hard for their students to make sure they get the same level as support as every other student in my class. Just as I would give extra help to students struggling academically, I will give more support to the students that don’t have the guidance at home.
One of the best things I can give to all of my students is the gift of creativity. You don’t have to have the most resources or the strongest support system at home to get creative. In fact, students that don’t have the resources or support might have a creative advantage to the students who do. However, I will open the doors for all of my students. Not just to change their labels or to eliminate the stigmas that some of them might have, but to give them the chance to find a passion in their life. How sad would it be for a student that has the ability to draw, be kept from discovering this talent their whole life? School is about learning. Why should we not let students learn beyond what is in their textbooks? We need to let them learn about themselves.
I have the skills to write powerful poetry. I can sing in front of an audience and captivate them by acting. I found all of these talents in elementary school. After I discovered my skill for writing I expanded my vocabulary, studied hard in English and chose to concentrate in language arts once I started college. This skill guided a lot of my choices as an adult. While academics are essential to an education, I believe that allowing for creative choices are just as important. I want my student to have the ability to find their strengths. What they choose to do with them is their own decision, but if I can help them find those talents and let them know it is okay to shine, maybe they will only continue to shine brighter as they grow. I know I want my creativity to continue to grow with me as a teacher. Not for selfish reasons, but to help make my classroom be the place that I envision. I want artwork hanging on the walls, I want creative writing journals in my student’s desks, I want engaging assignments and funky science experiments to captivate my student’s interests. I want their learning experience to be creative and fun. I want to meet the common core standards, but I want to do so by thinking outside the box. Standardized tests are not fun, and they are difficult to prepare for and sometimes the creativity is sucked straight out of the classroom. But what about all those other times? Where did the creativity go then? In my classroom we will take our learning seriously, but we will know how to make it interesting at the same time.
As noted in my philosophy statement I had the realization that the teaching methods that work for general education students work for special education students as well. I have had another realization that the reverse is also true. Any method designed for teaching special education students can also be used in the general education classroom. Special education is “specialized” or individualized education for students who do not fit the “norm.” But what is the norm? If we can define students as “special” learners, what defines a student as a “normal” learner? Instead of focusing on labeling our students and creating “special education” lessons and “general education” lessons, we should simply differentiate lessons and expectations for the individual learner. That way no student is “special” or “normal,” students are just individuals.
One of the best things I can give to all of my students is the gift of creativity. You don’t have to have the most resources or the strongest support system at home to get creative. In fact, students that don’t have the resources or support might have a creative advantage to the students who do. However, I will open the doors for all of my students. Not just to change their labels or to eliminate the stigmas that some of them might have, but to give them the chance to find a passion in their life. How sad would it be for a student that has the ability to draw, be kept from discovering this talent their whole life? School is about learning. Why should we not let students learn beyond what is in their textbooks? We need to let them learn about themselves.
I have the skills to write powerful poetry. I can sing in front of an audience and captivate them by acting. I found all of these talents in elementary school. After I discovered my skill for writing I expanded my vocabulary, studied hard in English and chose to concentrate in language arts once I started college. This skill guided a lot of my choices as an adult. While academics are essential to an education, I believe that allowing for creative choices are just as important. I want my student to have the ability to find their strengths. What they choose to do with them is their own decision, but if I can help them find those talents and let them know it is okay to shine, maybe they will only continue to shine brighter as they grow. I know I want my creativity to continue to grow with me as a teacher. Not for selfish reasons, but to help make my classroom be the place that I envision. I want artwork hanging on the walls, I want creative writing journals in my student’s desks, I want engaging assignments and funky science experiments to captivate my student’s interests. I want their learning experience to be creative and fun. I want to meet the common core standards, but I want to do so by thinking outside the box. Standardized tests are not fun, and they are difficult to prepare for and sometimes the creativity is sucked straight out of the classroom. But what about all those other times? Where did the creativity go then? In my classroom we will take our learning seriously, but we will know how to make it interesting at the same time.
As noted in my philosophy statement I had the realization that the teaching methods that work for general education students work for special education students as well. I have had another realization that the reverse is also true. Any method designed for teaching special education students can also be used in the general education classroom. Special education is “specialized” or individualized education for students who do not fit the “norm.” But what is the norm? If we can define students as “special” learners, what defines a student as a “normal” learner? Instead of focusing on labeling our students and creating “special education” lessons and “general education” lessons, we should simply differentiate lessons and expectations for the individual learner. That way no student is “special” or “normal,” students are just individuals.