Abigail Gutierrez

KIN 447
Spring 2015
Philosophy Statement for Dance Education in the Elementary School
From an early age, we have been told that education is the key to our success. Study
hard! Get good grades! Go to college! Is what we grow up knowing and attempting to
accomplish. As a future K-5 teacher, I believe quality education in the United States should
consist of guiding every student to a successful future. All students should be prepared for
college and educated to make intelligent decisions in life, as part of the workforce. They should
know and understand the importance of education and the impact that doing well has on their
success. Therefore, as a future teacher I will always do what is best for the students, and
accommodate lessons and instructions to meet their needs. Teaching is a rewarding career and I
will only be a successful teacher if my students are successful with me.
Developing a well-rounded successful student consists of making them knowledgeable of
every subject without excluding the arts in education. The arts in education consist of Dance,
Visual Arts, Theater, and Music. Teachers should efficiently use the arts while teaching the core
subjects in various ways to help children understand what they are learning. The arts allow
students to demonstrate their personality and creativity, while also forming their opinion and
perspective in other areas other than textbooks. Every school should include the arts in their
curriculum because it allows students to be active and explore different activities.
There are many unique contributions that rhythm and dance activities make to childhood
education. They can be incorporated into lessons making them more appealing for children
allowing them to participate without being forced and demonstrate creativity. I visited a
classroom where the teacher used music to teach the order of the ABCs and the students were

catching up to the beat of the song. When I was a student I also learned the order of the ABCs
with a song and as an adult I sing my way through the alphabet. Therefore, I believe kids
remember more of what they is being taught if they are learning using rhythm and dance.