Teaching Philosophy

Danielle Corriveau
May 8, 2017

As an educator I have many aspirations about my future classroom, teaching styles, and

students. I want my classroom to first and foremost be a safe and welcoming place for students

to spend their time. I do not want my classroom to just be a place of learning, I want it to be

somewhere that students feel at home. I believe the learning process is an individual path,

therefore my teaching style needs to be differentiated for each student to be able to reach their

full potential. Finally, I believe each and every one of my students is important and I want to

convey that to them through my teaching and interactions with them. These three things are

what I believe to be the most important aspects of teaching and learning.

The best classrooms I have had the pleasure of setting foot in have been ones where

the students feel comfortable. I want my students to know that I value learning, but I also know

that the best learning takes place when students feel safe enough to express themselves. The

most thought provoking questions will never be asked if the learners arent comfortable in their

environment. Making my students feel at home in my classroom is a top priority for me, which I

will accomplish by getting to know each one of them on a personal level, organizing my

classroom in a way where collaboration is encouraged, and making it known that mistakes are

an important part of the learning process. Without the feeling of safety, no learning can take

place.

Teaching to the class is no longer a relevant statement; I want to teach to the

individual. I know that with the restraints of the public education system that this is not always

possible to teach on a one-on-one level, which is where universal design for learning comes in.

Realizing that not all students learn the same way is the first step to becoming a better teacher.

I want to teach in a variety of different ways such as hands-on learning, whole class
discussions, individual worksheets, etc, to be able to meet the needs of all my learners.

Differentiation is a necessity in today's classroom and I have seen first hand the power it has to

help catch the students who may otherwise slip through the cracks.

Finally, I believe as a teacher my number one concern is my students. I want each child

who walks through my classroom door to know that they are special, important, and cared for.

No one can learn to the best of their ability if they are not valued and seen as capable of

reaching for more. I want to convey to my students this message by getting to know each one of

them on a personal level and showing that I care about their lives. This is done before, during,

and after class. Its a 24/7 kind of a job which cant be taken lightly. I want my students to know

that I am in the classroom, doing what I do, for them.

I believe the three most important aspects of teaching are having a welcoming

environment to learn in, teaching using differentiation, and caring about each student on an

individual level. The teachers that I have had in my life whom I consider to be one of the greats

have all had these three qualities about their teaching practice. I hope that one day I will be able

to make the same impact on the lives of my students that I know my great teachers had on

mine.