Philosophy of Education

Education is very important to all but requires hard work and dedication. Education is not
limited to just the students; however, the students are the most important part of education.
Beyond the students, as an educator, it is important to create a successful learning environment,
have active engagement within the instruction, assess multiple students, and a significant amount
of planning to meet the curriculum. All of these things shape us as educators and are
significantly important.

When meeting each student, I believe it is important to create relationships with every
single one of them. Students need to understand that you care about them as individuals and
about their learning. Once the connection is made with each student, it makes our jobs as
teachers a little easier. It shows us how to understand each student and why they may behave the
way that they do. I believe it is important to create a positive relationship with the students'
parents. As an educator, I believe it is important to communicate as often as possible with
parents so there are not any questions about the child's learning.

The second most important thing as an educator is the student’s learning environment. I
believe the learning environment a student is in, directly correlates how the student learns. If
there is chaos, the student is not actively learning. I believe students need a steady routine to
have a successful education. Second to the routine, I believe the student’s learning environment
should be warm and welcoming. This can be completed by painting the walls, having welcoming
posters, group seating arrangements, or hot spots. I believe it is important to give students some
options within their learning environment. The learning environment you teach in shows what
your students learn.

On top of the students and their learning environment comes much planning, instruction,
engagement, and assessment. I believe in engaging all students within activities. This can be
done by having the students be the teacher. If students do not get to dig into their learning, they
are not as actively engaged. Students should be in the driver's seat of their learning, educators are
there to assist with their learning. I believe in teaching students how to think, not what to think.
Before this, educators must create engaging lesson plans that meet the needs of all students. This
may require educators to differentiate. Educators must create active and engaging lesson plans
while planning but must also meet the district's curriculum. Differentiating takes a lot of extra
planning, but in order for each and every student to succeed it is required. No student should be
left behind because they need extra assistance. Beyond the instruction, I believe students should
be assessed on their learning. This can be done by quick formative assessments or a summative
assessment at the end of a chapter or unit. This will provide data on what the students have
learned.

In summary, I believe that the students are most important when you're an educator, next
comes the students' parents, then their learning environment. I believe in having a steady routine
for students and students having a say in their learning environment. I also believe in engaging
all students within activities and teaching students how to think, not what to think. Lastly, I
believe in assessing students to show students growth.