KATYCONFESSIONAL: My Educational Philosophy

Ok folks,

I know this might be boring for some of you to read, but I felt pretty good after writing this. I had to write my educational philosophy for my Health Teaching Methods class, and it made me really reflect on WHY I want to be a teacher. (Yes, I still want to be one, sillies. ;)

BTW, I find out where I am going to student teach sometime in the next two weeks! Here is hoping I get someplace fabulous! (my secret fear is being placed with a burley old coach who uses old film clips and overheads! Heaven FORBID!)

Ok.. now the philosophy, followed by Goofy's teaching philosophy, as illustrated in a classic Disney cartoon entitled "Teachers Are People". Brace yourself for controversial references to bombs and guns.. yikes!

Educational Philosophy

April 2010

I feel so blessed to be part of a profession that values learning. Raised by parents who are both educators, my passion for learning is second only to God and family. I am excited every day at the possibility of sharing that same passion for learning and intellectual growth with my students.

In order for students to love learning, I believe that creating opportunities for them to succeed is essential. I want to be a teacher who challenges students, but also serves as a guide and a resource for them to arise to the challenge. By getting to know my students personally and understanding their strengths and weaknesses, I am able to better meet their individual learning needs.

I believe that good student-teacher relationships are essential to a productive classroom, but relationships must be maintained with clear expectations of behavior and respect. I will strive to create a safe environment in my classroom through trusting student-teacher and student-student relationships, where students feel safe and able to discuss controversial, sensitive, or emotionally-charged issues.

When discipline is required, I feel it is very important to control emotions and strive to think before you speak. I want the result of discipline to be long-term improved behavior and improved learning experiences for everyone. I believe that a good discipline system is based around prevention and understanding of expectations. I believe that the students should be a part of defining fair consequences for misbehavior, so that they feel ownership for their behavior in the classroom. As an educator, I will not take it personally when a student misbehaves. I will try to maintain a positive student-teacher relationship to help prevent harming a student's educational experience.

I believe that gaining an understanding of health and science enriches lives. These two subjects go hand-in-hand when discovering the human potential. The continually changing disciplines of science and health are intimately intertwined, and an understanding of both enhances the human experience. I feel that our students are at a critical time in their lives where possessing the right information can help them make important choices, potentially changing the course of the rest of their lives. I feel strongly that by engaging them in active learning experiences in both health and science, they will better understand the significance of their decisions regarding their personal health and relationships. They will be armed with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

I feel it is necessary to remain up-to-date with the most current research in the fluid fields of health and science. I strive to continually investigate, learn, and grow using new information from credible resources and professional organizations. I wish to provide my students accurate information, and also to present it to them in a technology-friendly way that the teenagers of today can appreciate.

Lastly, in this world of turmoil, I want to be a force for good. I want to be an example of someone who is happy and satisfied with my life, and daily strives to live it in a way that complements the material that I am teaching. I want to give my students a glimpse of the bright and hopeful future that can be theirs, and give them a piece of the roadmap to get there. I know that by teaching each student the immense value of their life and contribution to society, they will flourish and bloom into the beautiful, brilliant people they have the potential to become.

P.s. I know I am a greenie with next to no experience under my belt, but if you want to read what a REAL veteran teacher has to say, take a peek at this blog post. Love what he has to say, and makes me excited to get into the classroom and teach.

http://gravityandlevity.blogspot.com/2009/04/passon-is-way-street.html