Teaching Philosophy

Teaching Philosophy

My entire life teachers have played a critical role in my intellectual, academic, emotional, and personal development. From elementary, high school, to graduate school, teachers have shaped my sense of self and my conception of the world around me. Through positive or negative experiences, I believe education has the power to vastly shape and shift an individual’s life. I have seen this in my own experience.

I believe a school, its staff, and it teachers must be focused singularly on one common goal: working for the best interests of all the students. The first responsibility for everyone in the school community is to guarantee the safety and well-being of the students. This including having no tolerance for bullying, proactively enforcing school policies, maintaining the security of the building, and assuring that students have access to any reasonable service the school can offer.

Second, in regards to classroom management, I believe it is critical for students, staff, and teachers to cultivate a culture of tolerance and respect. It is never appropriate for anyone in a school to curse, scream at, or otherwise disrespect anyone else in the building. I believe in gradual, explicit escalation of consequences that are reasonable and reflexive to the negative action. Also, I believe it is imperative that the student understand the consequences of their own action and the rationale of the teacher’s response.

Finally, I believe is the duty of teachers to foster a love of learning in all their students and allow every child an opportunity for success. This includes allowing students to take ownership of their learning, shape their instruction, and ultimately give them the choice of success or failure depending on their own sense of responsibility.