Rachel Stern Teaching Philosophy Being a teacher is not strictly about shaping the minds of the young, cultivating

prosperity in the community, or being a positive role model for children. Three of the most important aspects of teaching, in my opinion, are the characteristics that I possess that will make me an outstanding educator, the curriculum that I find myself to be most connected to, and the classroom environment that I intend to create. In my own classroom, I aim to be an understanding, accommodating, and fair teacher. These three characteristics are important to possess, in my opinion, because it is imperative to be able to meet many different types of needs depending on the individual. Because of these differentiations between children, children are very much capable of complexity dependent upon how they are raised, where they grow up, and what type of things they are exposed to at a young age. It is obvious that children are more complex than many people think because they are able to think independently and decide which color block to pick up, make personal decisions about whether to crawl to the left or to the right, remember how to sing the ABCs and count to 3, and so much more. Their minds are constantly moving and taking notice of everything around them. I think that as children develop and grow up, they learn more. As children learn more, they become more open to new ideas and experiences. This, to me, is one of the most compelling and amazing things about childhood. Personally, I feel as though my values connect me most to the idea of reforming curriculum. I find this curriculum model to be the most compelling because it focuses on critical thinking, calls forth personal/social commitments, encourages creativity, allows

children to use their own voices to enact change, and gives children the ability to make their own choices. All of these things are very important to me in terms of how I want my classroom to be run, one day. In a reforming curriculum model, children are encouraged to seek out their own answers through collaboration and it teaches them to enact change rather than just continuing to conform to society. I will encourage my students to take their learning outside of the classroom through activities that take knowledge home. As a teacher, I want to impact children to make a difference in the world and be the change that they wish to see in the world. My students will be entrusted with the responsibility of doing something to better their community, however they see fit, as the school year progresses. Through reforming curriculum, children will focus not only on examinations but also on becoming well-rounded individuals. I want my students to value the things that reforming curriculum impresses because they are my values as well. This concept is also supported by the research and teachings of John Dewey, who believed that education leads to free inquiry and free inquiry leads to a richer society. Deweys belief that education can contribute to society by producing individuals capable of independent thought is completely in line with my beliefs as well. I think that environment plays a huge role in childrens learning. One thing that is important about the environment is how many materials are available for the child to use to motivate learning and what types of materials are available. My classrooms will be set up with various types of things for children to play with and stimulate the mind so as to not tailor the environment to only one type of learner. For example, I believe that classrooms should have academic play materials such as math games and reading games, a area for make believe play, a variety of materials for tactile learning, a library, and

blocks to initiate building. The aforementioned materials, along with many other materials, would facilitate learning in an environment conducive to the most effective learning possible. The environmental design will be structured, also, to allow the students to observe me as the educator as I model social/academic behaviors for the child. If the child is able to see me utilizing different materials in the classroom, they can take these materials and, along with their classmates, reconstruct the instruction to suit their learning needs and allow them to be highly motivated in a well-constructed classroom environment. As a teacher, I aim to be a positive role model to my students, help them learn how to resolve conflicts, deal with various social situations, behave in different settings, and develop personal relationships. I would like to act as a role model to my students and be someone that they look up to and trust in their lives. Its definitely important for children to have a deep relationship with their teachers because it fosters understanding and faith within the classroom.