Running head: PERSONAL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 1

Personal Teaching Philosophy

Tiffani Cosendine

Regent University
PERSONAL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 2

Teaching is a truly noble profession that involves time, effort, and even sacrifice to

ensure that your students are receiving the best education they can. I did not always know that I

wanted to be a teacher, but once I realized that is what I was meant to become in life, I could not

imagine pursuing anything else. I believe that being a teacher, though it may be daunting at

times, is an honor. It is a privilege to be able to impact young minds in such a profound way. I

want my students to be able to come into my classroom each day eager and motivated to learn.

My desire is to make learning a worthwhile, positive experience. I want my impending

classroom to be a place of safety with an open environment, where my students know that I am

there for them and that I care about them far beyond the walls of the classroom. As a teacher, I

know I have the capability of pouring out so much into my students—not only knowledge, but

also encouragement, support, positivity, and love. Even though I may not necessarily end up

teaching in a Christian environment, I still want my students to be able to see God’s love and

goodness through me.

One thing about my teaching philosophy that has changed since I have gained more

experience in the classroom is that I have realized how different each student truly is, and it has

altered the way I approach teaching. I have already learned as a forthcoming teacher that not

every student will fit the same mold. Each student will come into my classroom at different

levels with various abilities, interests, backstories, and conceptions about learning and life in

general. Each student has a different way of learning and processing information. For this reason,

I believe it is important to get to know students to understand where they are coming from and

what level they are at. I want to know what my students believe and what motivates them, as

well as what they are good at and what they are maybe not so good at. A good teacher will meet

students where they are and then work with them to help bring them up to where they are meant

to be and beyond. One of my goals is to endeavor to meet the needs of all of my students. This
PERSONAL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 3

may entail differentiating or altering tasks to suit various student needs, abilities, and learning

styles.

I also have several goals in relation to implementing lessons. I want my lessons to be

engaging and relevant, and, whenever possible, I want to provide my students with lessons that

have real-world applications that will help them make connections between what they are

learning and their own lives. This will hopefully make learning more meaningful and applicable.

In addition, I want to cultivate the inner qualities and abilities that God has given my students.

My desire is to provide my students with opportunities to showcase these talents and interests

through various activities and performance tasks. As a teacher, it is also important that I am

understanding the content I am teaching. I cannot expect to deliver an effective lesson if I do not

have a clear SOL or set of objectives that I must impart. My aim is to teach students what is

required in the curriculum while also making it enjoyable and purposeful.

Another goal of mine is to encourage my students that they are all fully capable,

wonderful learners. I long to be a teacher that always believes in my students and does not easily

give up on them, even if a student may be troublesome. In the same way God does not give up on

us, I never want to just abandon a student where they are. I also never want a student’s behavior

to alter my perception or expectations of them; from experience, sometimes the most

“troublesome” students may be the ones who are drawn to you most. Being understanding as a

teacher is immensely important. I never want to instinctively punish or inflict a poor grade on a

student without first trying to understand their circumstance. You never know what a child may

be facing at home and why they may be struggling to focus or complete their work. I definitely

believe that all students are capable of learning and succeeding in school, but unfortunately that

does not mean every student will. However, I want my students to know that I believe in them
PERSONAL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 4

and that I will work with them to meet their goals. We are all going through the school day

together, and I want to help them be able to succeed in my classroom.

My heart’s desire is to build effective, long-lasting relationships with my students. I

know I will care about them not only academically but personally as well, and I want them to

feel like they can trust me and talk to me about anything. My goal is to make my classroom a

safe, welcoming place for all students. I will try my best to maintain a positive mindset

regardless of circumstances because I truly believe that students feed off of a teacher’s attitude.

Bullying, negativity, and foul language will not be tolerated in my classroom. I want my

classroom to be a positive place where students try their best, believe in their abilities, and

encourage one another. I believe a teaching philosophy is something that grows and changes

over the years, especially as one gains more experience in the classroom, but this is the outlook I

have formed in my teaching journey thus far.