I believe that learning is a life long endeavor. From the beginning of our lives, we are trying to make sense out of the world that surrounds us to find meaning, patterns, and solutions to the problems that we encounter.  In choosing to become an educator, I want to foster that innate curiosity we were born with and nurture the desire to explore. My goal is to create a joyful community of learners in which everyone teaches and everyone learns. I acknowledge and honor the fact that young people have a wealth of life experience when they enter the classroom and I hope to effectively tap into their lived knowledge in order to create an authentic learning environment for all students. Students learn best when they make meaningful connections between the subject  matter and their lives. I aspire to have the lessons come alive in a way that leads the students on a journey in self-exploration where they discover their strengths and talents.

        I also believe that education can be the great equalizer that can bring about social change. All students, regardless of class, race, sexual orientation, gender, or ethnicity, are owed quality education that will serve them in the present, as well as the future. Given the high-stakes and urgency of the profession, teaching can be a transformative practice where the students are empowered to make contributions to their areas of interests and study. The teacher must believe in the infinite capacity of the student while providing resources for them to ensure  their success. The teacher's success is deeply ingrained in that of the student's. In establishing a classroom culture and educational pedagogy focused on student centered learning, academic rigor, collective success, and real-life applications of the content, the students will feel a level of investment in their work and will potentially become an agent of change within their own community.

       I plan to provide a meaningful and memorable education for the youth I work with, with the hope that I can inspire them to pay it forward, and become teachers as well. The impact of powerful teaching and learning goes beyond those who are within the four walls of the classroom. Other than impacting the students, their education impacts their families, future families, friends, the communities they live in, and beyond. I strive to be cognizant of this as I prepare my lesson plans and interact with students and families  inside and outside the classrooms. Educators are endowed with the responsibility to help form creative, dynamic, brilliant beings while cultivating their talents, knowledge, and curiosity for the endless impacts that it will have on future generations. 

Please read attached document to read the full text of my educational philosophy.