Samantha Blum

There are many aspects to teaching in the world today however I have

found that a few core philosophies matter the most. In this paper I will

address my beliefs on the role of an educator, the ethical responsibilities of

an educator, how children learn, the importance of families, the role of

curriculum, and finally the role of assessment.

The role of educators is to provide children with the tools to learn but

should allow the children to guide their own learning. Maria Montessori

believed heavily in this approach. She believed that children should direct

their own learning and be able to explore. Children should be allowed to take

control of their learning and explore what they find interesting in early

childhood. The teachers should be a guide and a helper when the children

need assistance, overall the teacher is there to observe the children and

learn from them. The teacher should listen to conversations and inquiries

made by the children and place appropriate tools and activities in the

classroom based on what she is hearing.

A teacher in early childhood is there to assist in the learning not to take

over the learning processes of the children whatever they may be however it

is important to know your ethical responsibly as well. Ethics play a large role

in education. As an educator you must understand your ethical

responsibilities. It is important to know that as an educator your top priority

is to keep the students in your classroom safe above all else. While we want
to keep them safe, students also have a hand in how they are being taught

and that is based on how they learn.

Children learn in many different ways. All of the ways a child learns can

be summed up into one word, play. Stuart Brown and Kristen Cozad state in

their article Play Is the Way Play is the way we become fully expressed

human beings, healthy and sustainable individually and in the global

community(2014) p17. I believe that play is the biggest factor to a childs

learning. Having a child play can provide them with learning opportunities in

reading, science, math, and social studies. For example if a child was playing

grocery store the child can learn to read a grocery list and pick up those

items. He can look at the same list and count the items that he needs to pick

up. This very simple play activity helps a child with reading, math, and

communication skills. It can also help children enhance their social skills and

creativity. While play is a huge factor to play there is one influence that out

ways any other in a childs learning, their family.

Families play a huge role in a childs life and learning. Because of this,

they should also play a vital role in the classroom. Family involvements

foster partnerships among schools, family, and individuals. These

partnerships result in sharing and maximizing resources. And they help

children and youth develop healthy behaviors and promote healthy families

(New Hampshire Department of Education. 2012.) It is clear to educators

that family involvement in the classroom enhances student success. Some of

the ways that parents should be involved in the classroom is by hosting

family literacy nights after school for all families, having parent volunteers to

help with field trips whenever possible, letting families know that they are

welcome in the classroom, and listening and utilizing the families ideas

about their child. One thing that families often wonder about is the role of

curriculum in the classroom.

The role of curriculum in the classroom is simple, the curriculum is

there to give the students a fun and interesting way to learn the information

needed to succeed. Curriculum is there to teach the basic subjects such as,

math and reading, however there is another component that educators

should be focusing on with their curriculum, Socialization. Social curriculum

is a means to teach students how to interact and empathize with one

another. It is how to ensure students feel good about themselves and their

relationships. When students learn a social curriculum they are socially

aware and emotionally intelligent (Roig-DeBellis .(2014).). Curriculum is the

way an educator prepares students for the real world, therefore it is

important that the curriculum teaches real world skills. Additionally, in order

to tell if the curriculum is preparing the students they need to be assessed.

The role of assessment in the classroom is to ensure that the students

are understanding all of the materials they are being taught. Assessment is a

scary thing for many students because they see it as being a test, however

educators can use a variety of assessment strategies. Some strategies that I

plan to use in my classroom include; asking questions throughout the lesson,

having discussions, and many more. Assessment should be used as a tool to

track progress at all times during a lesson. Teachers use many different

processes and strategies for classroom assessment, and adapt them to suit

the assessment purpose and needs of individual students (Manitoba.

(2016).). All forms of assessment are needed in order to change the lesson to

best fit the needs of the wide range of learners in the classroom.

In order to have a well-rounded classroom educators must know the

importance of the role of an educator, the ethical responsibilities of an

educator, how children learn, the importance of families, the role of

curriculum, and finally the role of assessment. Above I have addressed my

beliefs on each of these topics. They all need to coexist and work together to

create a perfect learning environment for all students.

 Resources

Brown, Stuart, & Cozad, Kristen. (2013).Play is the way. Paciorek, Karen
(ed35.), Annual editions: Early childhood education. (pp 15-17).United
States of America: McGraw-Hill Education
New Hampshire Department of Education. (2012). Why family and
community involvement Is important. Concord, NH. Accessed March 2nd
2017.
https://www.education.nh.gov/instruction/school_health/health_coord_f
amily.htm
Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis . (2014. February 16). The importance of learning a
social curriculum. Huffington Post. Retrieved From:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kaitlin-roigdebellis/the-importance-of-
learnin_1_b_4455595.html
Manitoba. (2016). Education and training: Assessment and evaluation.
Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/role.html