Philosophy 

My philosophy on education is that we as teachers need to make our classroom environment one that students are willing and engaged in learning. To me this starts with making our positive learning environments where students feel that they have a voice and they matter. One of the themes in the conceptual framwork for the School of Education at St. Bonaventure is social justice and making sure our classrooms respect diversity and undertand that all indiviudals are different. I also believe that having students involved and engaged with the material, and the learning process is important in the learning process and giving students more autonomy in the classroom is a key way to have this involvment and engagement. More student-centered learning, student choices in the classroom and having students wanting to think about the concepts being presented is the way to engage students in thier own learning. I believe as a math educator it is very important for students to break down concepts and have practice using and understanding them but also having students realize that these concepts have meaning in thier everyday lives. 

Additionally I believe that all students learn differently and the classroom should strive to account for all students learning styles. In order to try and complete this task we as teachers need to be thinking of lessons in layers, accounting for all different types of learning styles and techniques. Further, I believe group collaborative work is a great tool for students to learn from and with their peers and will ultimately help them understand major concepts at a deeper level.

Lastly I believe that as teachers we must have our classrooms be a safe and open environment for all student learning and cooperation. I believe that making connections with students by a simple "tell me your good news" can brighten a students day and help to connect with students and earn thier trust. By making connections with student they are more willing to engage in the class and not be scared to have the answer wrong. I want my classroom to be a safe space where students are not afraid to try even if they may be wrong. I believe that allowing students a safe space for learning and engaging  will help students grow both in their education and in their lives. I want my classroom to foster positive thoughts and actions while also learning and engaging in the material.