I want to be a teacher because I love to work with children and want to make a difference. I want students to see their potential and then strive to reach that potential. I believe that the students of today need a teacher who is their mentor, friend, parent figure, and someone that genuinely cares for them. A teacher needs to be more than a person who tosses information at a student; a teacher needs to be someone who prepares that student for life.

I believe in a very humanistic approach to teaching. The students need to feel that they are loved and cared for by their teacher. I think I can do this in my classroom by incorporating a setting where the student feels comfortable and relaxed. My classroom will be full of positive topics with groups of supportive groups within the class working together. Each student's opinion will be solicited and I will try to encourage my class to see that everyone's opinion is valuable and not all opinions are alike. I believe that if I can get my students to feel loved and cared for they will be likely to follow me where I go with my lessons. If I get that to happen I think I will have their respect, which is something that I believe is also needed for the student to feel more apt to express themselves without fear of rejection or humiliation.

I think the importance of self-worth and competence is just as important as the current focus on curriculum. I know that curriculum is the basis of schools, but I think I can teach the curriculum in such a way that the student is more of the focal point. I plan to teach my class in a "whole to part" fashion. I think that if I can get my students to see the whole picture then it will be much easier to teach the curriculum if they understand and believe what they are learning will benefit them and have some sort of significance. I believe that I can teach my students to be good and competent citizens as well as teach the curriculum to the standards of the course of study in each school district.

I believe in a very constructivist approach to teaching. I think the students need to be encouraged to do what they want to do in life. The educator must increase and feed curiosity in the classroom. The teacher should be a facilitator and guide in the student's life, as well as a good mentor. I believe that to do this well you must have lessons making the curriculum fun and enjoyable to the students. These lessons should have different elements to them; they should be fun involving hands on activities. The lessons should be from not a "part to whole" view, but a "whole to part" view. The students need to see the whole picture so they can judge the importance of the material. If they see the importance then they will be more prone to work harder to understand and learn the material. The lessons should also encourage the students to investigate topics outside of the classroom. When a student feels that he/she has mastered a task, they are more likely to show more interest in that subject. This helps build self-esteem and creates a sponge that wants to absorb more material.

I know my views may be a little idealistic, but I think I will remain more of a humanistic teacher. I want to make a difference in the lives of the students that walk through my classroom. The classroom should be built around the student, not the teacher's ideas; therefore I think that my teaching philosophy will be an ever-changing idea. I am a very happy and positive person who likes to have a little bit of fun when learning, I am very sure this will cross over to my classroom and benefit my students.

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