When an individual becomes a teacher, he or she is making a commitment not only to their own future, but also to playing a very real role in the future of the students who will pass through the classroom door. As an educator, I take this responsibility very seriously, and believe that my strong commitment to education and to the future of my students is a strong foundation on which to build my personal philosophy of education.

One of the most important lessons I have learned in my own education is that a clearly defined purpose is essential for measuring my own progress through a course of learning, and that the same lesson will guide me as a teacher. At the end of a particular lesson, student progress can easily be measured by answering a few simple questions.  Have I achieved the stated goal? If not, why not? What things do I need to focus on in order to reach the goal? Where have I gotten lost, or taken the wrong turn? In the classroom I will model this idea to my students by presenting clear daily objectives for each goal that I expect them to reach. A great metaphor for my philosophy is that learning is like a road map, and the students are trying to travel from point A to point B.

We may not all begin at exactly the same point, and we might not all take the same route, but the destination is clear, as is our shared reason for needing or wanting to take the trip. Who knows? We might even have a good time along the way!

Through this approach, the idea of a supportive classroom community emerges. Clearly stated goals and objectives allow students to perform self-assessments along the way and with the help of the teacher or fellow students, to explore new ways of reaching them. Students have an amazing number of ways to learn, and a welcoming forum in which to discuss ideas and approaches to problem-solving is essential to building a strong, working classroom community. Through demonstration and cooperative learning, students can demonstrate mastery of a goal by teaching others, and playing an active role in learning every day. I believe these sorts of skills, when applied in a supportive environment, allow students to build confidence in themselves and others, which allows them to perceive the classroom a safe space in which to develop respect for other ideas through an approach that emphasizes critical thinking and relevant learning. The role of the teacher in my classroom is to present objectives clearly, introduce concepts that build on what has been covered and to open the space for discussion and exploration of new concepts within the framework of earlier knowledge. In this role, the teacher is facilitator for thought and action; the teacher provides the gas, the student does the driving.

In my opinion, the simple act of stating and emphasizing clear goals and expectations for my students will allow me to de-emphasize classroom management problems because there is no doubt about what is expected, both in behavior, as well as in expectations for learning. The most creative and the most challenged learners should be able to operate within a set of guidelines that allows for and recognizes their individuality, but places learning as the objective for everyone. We may arrive at our destination exhilarated, exhausted, or somewhat puzzled, but we have gotten there together, and will have many more interesting destinations to come!