My philosophy of education
Why teach? An answer came to me while living in New Zealand immersed in Kiwi culture. I recognized that New Zealanders have a strong connection to each other and to the world around them. The quality of life is so high in New Zealand that I could not help but wonder how to bring this home. After a year, I came home and decided that I wanted to teach. While teaching environmental education for a few years, I realized that in order to foster growth and connection to the world, a teacher and student need to build a relationship over a longer period of time. Elementary education called me.
When you walk into our classroom, students will be engaged in learning both academically and socially. Students will feel a sense of belonging and connection to each other. Each student will be seen as an individual learner within the learning community intentionally designed to fit the needs of everyone. By saying everyone, I mean our community will include parents, teachers and students. Parent - teacher partnerships are vital in supporting students while they learn, both are equally important to the learning community.
While there are many basic skills students need to master, such as reading, writing and mathematics, building a context for these skills is important so that students can make connections between their learning and the world around them. Students will work within the local community, engaging in developmentally appropriate projects that give purpose and meaning to their learning. My teaching will be designed around integrated thematic units which engage students, deepen their understandings and build upon their critical thinking abilities. Thematic units will ensure that we do not build our understandings in isolation; rather, we will build on our curiosities about the world.
When students enjoy what they are working on and take pride in their work, I will know that I am on the right track of instilling a life-long love for learning. Through this work we can be more like New Zealanders, developing a strong sense of belonging in our classroom community and making many connections to the world around us.