Teaching Philosophy

I believe teaching is a privilege, an honorable opportunity to educate and inspire young

children in becoming well-rounded, open-minded leaders. I believe in an empathetic pedagogical

approach to education; an approach William Ayers identifies as essential to teaching young

children. Empathy is an emotion, fueled by love and kindness, expressed in many forms. To me,

empathy in education means responding to children’s needs, allowing children to express their

emotions, and communicating children’s strengths so clearly that they believe their strengths are

powerful enough to positively impact the world. I will prepare students to become courageous

leaders by focusing on empathy as the catalyst to drive community, collaboration, and culture in

my classroom.

The classroom community will serve as the roots that nourish the growth and

development of empathetic students. The community of our classroom will be established from

the moment students enter, as I will stand outside of our classroom each morning and greet each

child by name, accompanied with eye contact and a smile. I will expect students to reciprocate

the greeting and practice greeting their peers in the same manner. When students greet one

another by name, there is an opportunity for a personal connection to foster communitive and

empathetic growth. To facilitate a classroom of this caliber, students must as a cohesive unit. I

will form cohesion in my classroom by starting and ending each day together as a class. Not only

does this strategy set a focused agenda for students but allows for an opportunity to express

emotions and ask students how they are feeling and how we can improve as a class. Establishing

a cohesive community is essential for empathetic and emotional development of students.

Empathy is also elicited through collaboration, as students work together and learn from

one another through group projects, discussions, and goal setting. As a teacher, I believe my
responsibility is to help students understand what constitutes fair and effective collaboration by

exemplifying active listening skills, asking thoughtful questions, and proving that each student

has significant qualities that contribute to group success. Students will practice these skills by

working in groups of four to five to accomplish academic goals. Through group work, students

will acquire empathetic communication skills, considering other’s beliefs and perspectives. In

my classroom, students will be required to work with a variety of peers with a variety of

perspectives. By practicing active listening skills, considering perspectives, and working together

toward a goal, students will inherit inevitable empathetic and effective collaborative qualities.

Community and collaboration will prepare students for experiencing culture in our

classroom, a culture reflective of all student characteristics. Although discussing identity in early

years of education is challenging, I believe cultural expression is necessary for students to fully

become empathetic members of our community. I will introduce the concept of culture through

projects that require students to bring in pictures of their families and writing about

characteristics make them unique. Students will experience culture in the classroom by

participating in these projects, reading books about culture, and studying diverse leaders in

academia. By immersing students in a culturally diverse classroom, they will develop an open-

minded, empathetic perspective toward their peers and community members.

Teaching is much more than an academic act. Rather, teaching is an empathetic act. I

believe teaching requires love, open-mindedness, and understanding that extends beyond the

walls of the classroom. I hope to emulate empathetic acts of my former educators, and those who

have inspired me to impact children through positive thoughts, actions, and words. I will foster a

cultural, collaborative community in which student minds and hearts are nurture by empathy.