- I believe my first perspective that forms my philosophy comes from my family. My mom was born in Iowa and comes from a very conservative family. My dad’s family is Italian so they’re loud and outspoken. I have a brother ten years older than me and a sister three years older than him. I spent a lot of time with adults who held high expectations and taught me to have a strong work ethic through example. My parents divorced and remarried when I was young. When I was sixth grade, my step-brother moved in with me, my mom and my stepdad. He was always in some sort of trouble and caused a lot of stress in our house. I did my best not to let it affect me in school but it could be a big distraction. I can relate to children whose struggles at home carry over to school and I think it is very important for the teacher to create a comfortable and safe classroom. I want to know my student’s families and how what they enjoy doing outside of school. This way, I can help the children relate to what they learn and make it important to them. It is the only way to keep students engaged and feed their desire to learn. My experience as a student was generally positive. School was fairly easy for me and teachers always treated me well, although there’s only a few who I enjoyed learning from. These teachers knew me as an individual and personalized my education. I want to make every day meaningful for my students and teach them lessons they’ll remember forever. The reason I want to be a teacher is because of three very special children I’ve babysat/nannied for almost seven years. I watched them learn and grow and change, yet still remain who they are. I’ve also learned so much from them and I’d be lucky if I have the privilege to work with children throughout my life. I’m writing this philosophy for elementary children, but more specifically for children in the first six years of their life. I believe the years before school, when the brain is rapidly growing and the child is learning the basic skills of life, largely determine their success in school. This is why I want to nanny after I graduate. I can work closely with one child or a few children to help them develop socially, intellectually and emotionally in all aspects of their life, not just school.
- From my education in psychology, I know that when someone learns, synaptic connections are made in the brain. New structures form, changing the way the child thinks about any particular idea or object. Learning is largely replacing old information with new information. I think when a child learns, they are usually replacing an old idea with a new, more complex idea. I think children learn without realizing they’re learning, which is why ‘play’ is important. An assumption I make about learning is that just because one child is successful at a particular lesson, that another child the same age will have the same level of success. My experience tells me that every child develops differently. One child might not be as good of a climber as another, but may learn the alphabet first. Some children are more emotionally aware than others and some are better at utilizing language. Children are also much more capable than I think most people assume and become more capable through personal experience. Repetition is necessary for learning and not at all a bad thing.
Conceptualization of teaching/leadership
- I think my role in the learning process is a facilitator. I want to guide the child’s learning but the child should essentially take control of their education. If I work as a nanny and start when the child is born, I have the opportunity to work with the child from the beginning. For example, I can allow the child to initiate interactions with me but I can show the child ‘peek-a-boo.’ By observing the child in their exploration of the environment, I can see what they pursue or what they struggle with and use that to guide and teach him or her. My role is to do what is best for the child’s development, not what is convenient for me. I believe this is a real problem in our education system and also in parenting, like putting a child in front of a television to keep them occupied. When a child feels like they’re being listened to, they will reciprocate that action. On the rare occasion I dislike a teacher, it’s usually because I feel like they talk down to me. I never want to make a child feel disrespected. The best way to establish this relationship is to encourage the child to talk about themselves; their interests, goals, family, ‘favorites,’ or anything they wish to share! I will listen, observe and record what I hear and see. It gives me the chance to learn about each child so we can establish a connection.
- The most important goal I have for my students (or any child I may take care of) is make them a lifelong learner. Education is incredibly valuable because it creates opportunities and has the power to change the way other people think. A person who is always asking questions is always seeking knowledge. Another goal I have is for my students to be good readers and knowledgable of language. Graphemes surround us and it is vital for children to interpret them on their own, establishing independence. It will also allow them to communicate with their peers, teachers, and family more efficiently. In college, so many of my classes connect with each other. I learn the same concepts in new ways from different professors. Somehow, those core concepts are taught in different classes so I see how it connects to the different subjects. It is important for children to be educated in different content areas but to also be able to make connections between content areas.
- Technology can have a positive or negative impact on the learning experience depending on how it is used. I don’t think technology should replace all other materials, but should be used when it is the most beneficial. I think society has determined that technology is extremely important and it makes sense for children to be knowledgable about technology. I think the use of technology should be determined by the school system. The students should be equally exposed to the technology available and taught by someone knowledgable in the field. It would be hard for the use of technology to be determined on a set of national standards because not all school systems have the same access to technological resources.
