Ashley Nicholson

Philosophy Statement
Refecting back on my teachers has helped me to develop my teaching
philosophy along with studying teaching methods and seeing them in
practice, both from observations and working directly with a certifed teacher
in my current position as a paraprofessional in a public preschool. I believe
that children learn well with hands on learning, a positive motivational
teacher that will encourage him or her to always strive to their best. I believe
that not all children learn the same way or at the same pace, but are all
capable of learning when their needs are met.
I believe it is important to gain a trusting relationship with students
families. I have seen with my employment that it is important and necessary
to keep the lines of communication open at all. I have learned that making
home visits to students homes can be very benefcial to both the teachers
and students.
!hen looking into the future, I see my ideal classroom being a frst or
second grade classroom in a public school. It would be an environment that
was welcoming, and had di"erent areas to e#plore in. I would love to have a
$tree house$ as a reading nook, a science center to do fun and challenging
e#periments, and a table for small group such as math. %cience was always
one of my favorite sub&ects, and with that, I would not mind teaching a 'th
grade science class as well((
I am an#ious and e#cited to continue to push myself, learn about new
teaching methods, and strive to complete my education as an early childhood
teacher. I would like to learn about teaching handwriting and new
approaches to teaching mathematical concepts. I plan to make it a goal to
attend as many workshops and conferences as possible to help me in these
areas of interest.