Once I decided the kids had exerted themselves enough with outdoor activities, I graciously allowed them to come in the house for naps. It was great time to check up on my emails from the day. I received one from Little Man's teacher. She was nominated for Teacher of the Year this year. Honestly, it should have happened a long time ago. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but she's pretty much awesome.
As I was reading through some artifacts to her portfolio, I pulled up the same artifacts from mine. Somehow, in my fourth year of teaching, I fooled my co-workers enough that they nominated me. What a bunch of suckers! Anyway, I came across one document that was supposed to wrap up my philosophy of education. Reading through the artifact made me remember all the good times with great kids.
Get ready for some reading, because I'm getting ready to share with you. Also get ready for weird spacing because after I copy/pasted there was something funky going on. I don't really care enough to change it. Sorry 'bout it...
Candidate No. 11
State Your Philosophy of
Teaching
q Describe
your personal feelings and beliefs about teaching, including your own ideas of
what makes you an outstanding teacher.
q Describe
the rewards you find in teaching.
q How
are your beliefs about teaching demonstrated in your personal teaching style?
“I am the decisive element in the
classroom.
It is my personal approach that
creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the
weather.
As a teacher, I possess
tremendous power to make
a child’s life miserable or
joyous.”
- Hiam Ginot
The clock reads 1:45pm …time for Social Studies. There’s a knock at the door. All students remain seated
as I answer the
door, slip outside, and re-enter as Mrs. Continent. Mrs. Continent takes time to teach a few
lessons in Social Studies. Her specialty
is in the area of landforms and map skills.
The kids sit in awe as
Mrs. Continent shares her biography. Born and raised in London
accent. She begins her lesson on lines
of longitude and latitude, sharing with the students how the Prime
Meridian, intersecting with her hometown, inspired her to become a professor of landforms
and map skills.
Mrs. Continent goes on
teaching; students answer questions while learning all about exact
locations. She
glances at the clock…2:15pm … time to catch her flight
back to London
Through the seemingly revolving
door, I re-enter. Funny, the kids say I
look so similar to Mrs. Continent, but no time to talk about the striking
resemblance. It’s time for Math. Division has been our quest for the past two
weeks. It’s the first time since we’ve
started that everyone has scored satisfactory on their paper!!!!!! Breaking into a chorus of Alleluia, I suddenly faint from
excitement. The kids wonder where I have
gone. The front two groups notice I’m on
the floor. The giggles begin and the
students start to feel the mounting pride from accomplishing a new skill.
The clock now reads 3:20 ; time to wrap up the day. A discussion of high and low moments from the
day brings me overwhelming joy. I listen
as my kids share their greatest accomplishments and struggles from the
week. I make mental notes of what I
will do to change each child’s struggle into a success. As the students gather their belongings and
file out with hugs and good-byes, Michelle hands me a paper. It’s a very neatly written field number, game
time, and a little message. “Can you please come to my game? Circle yes or no.” I circle and hand the paper back to her. My week is not over. I’ll be at that soccer game to support her as
she excels in an area outside of the academic realm.
How do these snapshots demonstrate
my philosophy of teaching? It is the devotion
to each student in and out of the classroom. The stitching on my heart motivates me to
create a fascinating and engaging learning environment, as well as, developing
a unique and special bond with each individual.
Giving my time, love, and support to each child beyond my classroom
allows me to reap the benefits inside the classroom. The devotion to my students ensures they will
become actively involved with our learning.
I often have teachers who ask,” Where do you find the time or energy to
do the ‘extras’?” My reply is
simple. “I find the time and create the
energy because my students depend on my tremendous power!”
