Philosophy
If you ask people why they want to become a teacher, you will receive a variety of answers, but most common would be to help kids or because they had a teacher that really inspired them. Of course, I had a few teachers that have stuck with me, but they did not make me want to be a teacher one hundred percent. I did not know until recently that I wanted to become a teacher.
My mom runs a daycare from our house, and I was reading with one of the little girls who will be going to preschool next year. In the middle of the book, I asked her what letter this was while I pointed to a letter. I tried several letters, but she did not know a single one. This was the point where I knew I wanted to be a teacher.
I want to be able to help students who cannot help themselves. Children do not know things that someone does not teach them. I want to be the one to teach them things that they can be excited about. I want my students to run to their mom or dad after school and be excited about what they did that day in school, and I want them to be excited to come back.
I want my students to have goals for themselves. Many young students do not have goals, and they just go about the school day thinking it is something that they need to do because their parents said they had to. If the students have goals, they will become excited when they accomplish them. They should get excited to learn new things. I believe that the teacher needs to be excited too. The students feed off the teacher’s energy and if the teacher is not excited, the students are not going to be excited either.
I think that families play a vital role in a child’s education. To get families involved in their child’s learning, I think there are a variety of ways that I can use. I think that in the early years “family homework” is a great way to get families involved. For example, if the child is learning to read, the student should read the book to their parents and then the parents should answer questions provided by the teacher about the student’s progress. Allowing parents to come visit the classroom is also a way to allow families to see what the child has been doing in school.
Teacher and parent communication is very important as well. Using things such as family assessment of the student, parent/teacher conversation logs, and other ways of constant communication are essential for student success. I think that parent-teacher conferences are a great way to keep in contact with the families and to show the parents how well the students are doing. Other times these conferences are needed to show the parents that the students will only succeed with their help.
I think that the most important developmentally appropriate teaching methods for teachers include: using a different number of formats to teach students, to promote learning by scaffolding, to provide opportunities for children to collaborate with others and to use a variety of learning experiences for children. Using different formats (ex: large or small groups, choice time, and routines) is a great way for kids to learn to adapt. Using routines gets them used to school, but breaking them into small groups helps them become social. If large groups are always used, there is less interaction between students. Using a variety of learning experiences also can help promote student interests and social skills. Using different materials such as blocks, dramatic play props and games are just some ways that engage students. Allowing students to collaborate with each other and solve problems is key. Problem solving becomes really important later in the student’s schooling and career and introducing it early creates a great foundation. The last teaching method that I think is important is the use of learning by scaffolding. I think this is really important because if we continue to teach children at their current level, they are never going to progress and accomplish their goals.
Developmentally appropriate curriculum should achieve important goals. These goals need to be clearly defined and be attainable by the students. The curriculum should also help a child’s development. Bringing things from the students' life helps them relate to the experience, and they will be more excited about it. For example, if you want to teach the students about bugs and you bring in an ant farm, the students will be excited because they get to see the actual bugs. They will relate it to themselves because they have seen these bugs at home.
Classroom management and discipline is very important. I remember some classes that I have been in, and there are always a few rowdy students that seem to distract everyone else. While on one of my class visits, I saw that one of the kindergarten teachers used a red, yellow, and green light discipline system. Every day the students started on a green light. If the student misbehaved, the teacher warned them that they would have to move to yellow. Following the warning, if the student misbehaved yet again, he/she had to move their name to the yellow light, and if they misbehaved a third time, they had to move to the red light. I think this system is a good idea. The students really did not want their stick moved to red because they knew it wasn't good, and their parents may be disappointed in them. I do not think that yelling is a good way to manage a classroom either. I think once a teacher starts yelling, the students, parents and other teachers lose respect for that teacher.
Overall, I think the ideas I have for my classroom are good ones, but I know that through my education I will be able to expand on these ideas and be able to focus on becoming the great teacher that I want to be.
My mom runs a daycare from our house, and I was reading with one of the little girls who will be going to preschool next year. In the middle of the book, I asked her what letter this was while I pointed to a letter. I tried several letters, but she did not know a single one. This was the point where I knew I wanted to be a teacher.
I want to be able to help students who cannot help themselves. Children do not know things that someone does not teach them. I want to be the one to teach them things that they can be excited about. I want my students to run to their mom or dad after school and be excited about what they did that day in school, and I want them to be excited to come back.
I want my students to have goals for themselves. Many young students do not have goals, and they just go about the school day thinking it is something that they need to do because their parents said they had to. If the students have goals, they will become excited when they accomplish them. They should get excited to learn new things. I believe that the teacher needs to be excited too. The students feed off the teacher’s energy and if the teacher is not excited, the students are not going to be excited either.
I think that families play a vital role in a child’s education. To get families involved in their child’s learning, I think there are a variety of ways that I can use. I think that in the early years “family homework” is a great way to get families involved. For example, if the child is learning to read, the student should read the book to their parents and then the parents should answer questions provided by the teacher about the student’s progress. Allowing parents to come visit the classroom is also a way to allow families to see what the child has been doing in school.
Teacher and parent communication is very important as well. Using things such as family assessment of the student, parent/teacher conversation logs, and other ways of constant communication are essential for student success. I think that parent-teacher conferences are a great way to keep in contact with the families and to show the parents how well the students are doing. Other times these conferences are needed to show the parents that the students will only succeed with their help.
I think that the most important developmentally appropriate teaching methods for teachers include: using a different number of formats to teach students, to promote learning by scaffolding, to provide opportunities for children to collaborate with others and to use a variety of learning experiences for children. Using different formats (ex: large or small groups, choice time, and routines) is a great way for kids to learn to adapt. Using routines gets them used to school, but breaking them into small groups helps them become social. If large groups are always used, there is less interaction between students. Using a variety of learning experiences also can help promote student interests and social skills. Using different materials such as blocks, dramatic play props and games are just some ways that engage students. Allowing students to collaborate with each other and solve problems is key. Problem solving becomes really important later in the student’s schooling and career and introducing it early creates a great foundation. The last teaching method that I think is important is the use of learning by scaffolding. I think this is really important because if we continue to teach children at their current level, they are never going to progress and accomplish their goals.
Developmentally appropriate curriculum should achieve important goals. These goals need to be clearly defined and be attainable by the students. The curriculum should also help a child’s development. Bringing things from the students' life helps them relate to the experience, and they will be more excited about it. For example, if you want to teach the students about bugs and you bring in an ant farm, the students will be excited because they get to see the actual bugs. They will relate it to themselves because they have seen these bugs at home.
Classroom management and discipline is very important. I remember some classes that I have been in, and there are always a few rowdy students that seem to distract everyone else. While on one of my class visits, I saw that one of the kindergarten teachers used a red, yellow, and green light discipline system. Every day the students started on a green light. If the student misbehaved, the teacher warned them that they would have to move to yellow. Following the warning, if the student misbehaved yet again, he/she had to move their name to the yellow light, and if they misbehaved a third time, they had to move to the red light. I think this system is a good idea. The students really did not want their stick moved to red because they knew it wasn't good, and their parents may be disappointed in them. I do not think that yelling is a good way to manage a classroom either. I think once a teacher starts yelling, the students, parents and other teachers lose respect for that teacher.
Overall, I think the ideas I have for my classroom are good ones, but I know that through my education I will be able to expand on these ideas and be able to focus on becoming the great teacher that I want to be.