Educational Philosophy         

               “What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.” – Bernard Shaw. I want my students to take more than the fundamental elements of what is taught; I want to instill in my students the drive to be self-motivated, critical thinkers and with the determination to develop life-long learning skills. It has been my experience that if students do not feel they “own” their education, or that they have the ability to open the doors of their own future, it will be difficult to engage them in true learning. I will promote the idea of ownership in my classroom by encouraging student leadership, opinion, reasoning, and contribution. That sense of ownership can motivate students to take charge and be responsible for their own education.

          Not all students learn in the same way, and not all students process the information that is given to them in the same way. As a result of the varied learning styles of my students, I have a variety of styles in teaching. I will adapt my lessons by implementing strategies that appeal to a variety of students including attention grabbing introductions, graphic aids, effective questioning strategies, cooperative groups, re-tellings and presentations.

          Much in the same way students’ backgrounds and previous interactions influence their learning; my experiences in education have molded my beliefs as a teacher. I was fortunate to have educators who believed in me and in my ability to construct my own knowledge. I want to provide my students with the same level of dedication and standards of academic achievement that were instrumental in my own personal educational success.

*You can also view the attachments section below to view my Educational Philosophy*