Teaching Philosophy

Summary

I aim to cultivate kind, culturally responsive lifelong learners by first creating an inclusive, emotionally safe classroom culture and using effective research-based instructional strategies to enhance students' subject fluency, perseverance, and self-efficacy. I teach students to use multiple lenses to continuously observe, question, collaborate, experiment, build, analyze, create, reflect, critique, improve and possibly transform the world around them

Earning the Students' Trust

My most important role as an educator is to support my students in any way they need. I aim to help them become the best version of themselves to achieve their full potential. Therefore, building a meaningful relationship with each child in the classroom is essential. In my experience, getting to know each student, respecting them, and genuinely caring for their well-being and growth, both academically and personally, fosters trust between the educator and the student. This relationship also establishes a better disposition for students to receive information, follow instructions, and engage in the classroom without hesitation or fear.

Parent/Guardian Collaboration and Communication:

Communicating and establishing a positive, transparent relationship with the student's parents or guardians is crucial to supporting the student inside and outside the classroom. 


I communicate daily with parents during 

Inclusive Classroom Community:

Having an inclusive classroom community based on trust and respect is an integral component. To have a healthy classroom community, we utilize the philosophy of "the class family." At the beginning of each year, we discuss and model how to be a supportive class-family member. A supportive class-family member supports others with kind words or actions. For example, as a class family, we celebrate each other's unique talents(academic and other) and assign talent ambassadors so that others who want to learn or develop their skills in that area can get guidance from that talent ambassador or those who have not yet identified their talent to explore and discover their own. Furthermore, class-family members also help and support each other to grow by voicing and listening to each other's questions, actively applying the "There is no such thing as a silly question." saying. Moreover, students reflect upon common problems within their families, such as arguments and misunderstandings, and how they can communicate with kindness and respect to resolve their issues. Of Course, at times, some problems still need to be resolved. However, they are taught not to react negatively to mean or hurtful behavior. Instead, if communicating does not fix the issue, they should involve the teacher. This method fosters a safe and positive learning environment where students build meaningful and supportive relationships with me and each other.

Pedagogy:

I aim to challenge my students daily with meaningful, engaging, and purposeful learning by giving them opportunities to grow and become critical thinkers and problem solvers. In my classroom, I provide my students with inquiry-based lessons and real-world situations so they may learn to conquer issues at school and in their lives outside of school. I encourage students to be agents of their learning by enabling them to voice their interests and difficulties inside and outside the classroom. I strive to instill a passion for learning in each child by creating a classroom where students actively participate and take responsibility for their learning. Just as I self-reflect as a teacher, students are taught to become self-reflective to improve upon areas of difficulty and build upon areas of strength. One example of how I help my students become self-reflective is by conferencing with them individually. As we examine their data during the conference, the student is responsible for tracking their academic progress through rubrics/learning goals checklists and setting goals for themselves. They also learn to hold themselves accountable for doing the work required to achieve their goals. 

UDL & Differentiation:





Why do I teach?

Rewards as a teacher go beyond their academic growth in reading, writing, and math. It is equally rewarding to see them grow as human beings by helping them build kind and collaborative personality traits, giving them a sound education, establishing a curious mind, and providing them with the tools and resources they can use to find answers to their questions beyond their time with me. As a result, seeing them grow throughout the year and my efforts come to fruition by the end of the year is the greatest reward that brings me pure joy. These are the moments I treasure.


I continuously reflect on my students' behaviors, conversations, and performance to ensure my classroom is a place where they know they are loved, valued, safe, and cared for. As a teacher, my heart becomes involved as I celebrate the successes of my 'students' lives, but I also see the students who are struggling and already burdened by life at an early age. My teaching philosophy is "Every Moment Counts, Every Student Matters." I want to be the best teacher I can be for each student, so I bring to the classroom all the skills and knowledge I've gained during my past seven years in education, combined with my experiences before entering the field of education. I also continuously seek ways to improve instruction and collaborate with fellow educators to create new and relevant lessons and improve our methods of instruction. Still, the greatest gift I can give my students is to love and believe in them and provide them with a learning experience that develops a confident "I can" mindset.