Taylor McNeill

SPED 3100 001

My Teaching Philosophy
Entering the education field has always been an aspiration for me. Ever since I was a
child, I loved the thought of teaching other people. This aspiration was brought to a reality once
I started high school. In high school, I had the opportunity to tutor students, lead groups, and
work at Elementary schools. The opportunity that made the greatest impact on me would have to
be my involvement in a resource room at an Elementary school. In this resource room, I was
exposed to all different types of students, and I formed a bond with one child that I saw
exponential growth in while working with him. After this, I decided that I wanted to major in
Special Education when I came to UNC Charlotte. The teacher that impacted me along with the
experience was Ms. Heather Lease. She showed me a teacher that went the extra mile for her
students no matter what. That is what I want to do as a special educator because I believe that
teaching students with disabilities allows you see the results of your hard work every single day,
and allows for the opportunity to touch lives of students who are often looked over and
ostracized.
For a classroom of students to learn, educators must employ all four learning styles to
allow every student to be reached and feel comfortable with the lesson being presented. This
allows the students to learn from each other due to reflection. In addition, special educators must
be adaptive with their instruction, and they must be quick on their feet because instruction can
become unpredictable with children who have more severe disabilities. My reasoning is derived
from David Kolb and Daniel Schns experiential learning theory. Kolb and Schn present that
learning is a cyclical pattern from experiences through reflection and conceptualizing onto
further experiences. Basically, reflection is key for learning, and reflection on the steps or
instructions given at varying levels will facilitate learning. I will ensure both reflection and
adaptation is implemented into my classroom through the use of individualized general
curriculum access, repetition of steps for certain problems, and allowing my students the
opportunity to voice their opinions of how they like or dislike my instruction. The only obstacle
I can see facing is reaching all four learning styles and also adapting at the same time. I plan to
overcome this difficulty by using evidence based practices, but generalizing it for classroom
instruction and employing varying learning styles (visuals, auditory explanations, and physical
copies of assignments that my students can hold.)

Taylor McNeill
SPED 3100 001
Teaching is ensuring that every student is reached and given the opportunity to succeed
no matter what stands in their way. This applies to students with disabilities because whether
they have a specific learning disability, they have an intellectual disability, or they may even be
non-vocal, they should be given every resource needed to have the ability to learn what is
expected of a student without a disability in their same grade level. I will use the facilitator with
a mix of authoritative style of teaching for my students. My personal blend of teaching style will
allow students to develop critical thinking skills and take the steps in facilitating their own
learning, but in addition, it will allow for me to stay direct with my students. Having a mix
between a laid-back and stern teaching style will allow me to stop disruptions from students and
decrease them, challenge students to think for themselves, work through different learning styles,
because it is not restrictive to one style of teaching, and have an open environment for my
students. My personal philosophy of never giving up will foster development and learning for
my students because I will not allow them to sell themselves short. I will push them to reach
beyond goals that are set for them, and I will help them get past the point of settling, through
continuous instruction and trials to help them in the areas they struggle with.
My students will be expected to succeed in the classroom, but if success is not coming at
the rate expected, my students will be expected to receive adapted instruction and start working
towards the goal of success. My students will also be expected to freely discuss anything
concerns or issues they may be facing. I want to allow my students to feel comfortable to
express how they feel without hesitation. My ultimate goal for my classes is to see personal
growth. I want to see growth reach beyond academics. Growth that is fueled by determination to
succeed, and that is the result of their constant effort to move forward. This growth will be
fueled by allowing them to take charge of their learning and my assistance with this process. I
will communicate with parents through the use of what is best suited for their lifestyle whether it
be meetings, text messages, emails, papers home, phone calls, etc. I will make it a mission to
send a weekly note home to parents specifically regarding their student because in the special
education field, parents need to be constantly informed.
For my open philosophy, I will allow assignments, projects, and activities to be
personalized to the students interests. I will give a certain requirement or two about the
assignment at hand, but the rest of the assignment will be up to the student themselves. This will
allow the development of self-learning and make the assignment more enjoyable for the student.

Taylor McNeill
SPED 3100 001
Other classroom activities will consist of student free-time to give them a break for around 15
minutes, open selection reading, and having them lead roles for life skills during skits we make
for the class. For interaction with my students, I would love to be another confidant for them but
to an extent. I want them to feel as though we can talk about issues they may be dealing with,
but not allow it to go too far where they believe we can hang out outside of school. I will treat
my students caringly when I see them in the hallways or at school functions, but the line will be
drawn for outside of the school. I will be polite to them outside of school, but not their best
friend.
Finally, for my professional goals, I am planning on graduating from UNC Charlotte with
a bachelors degree in Special Education. Next, I want to teach at a local school around
Charlotte, or my hometown for around 5 years to build my experience with students. Then, I
would like to attend Western North Carolina University to attain my Masters degree in Speech
Pathology and see where it takes me. As for short-term goals, I plan to volunteer at several
special Olympic events, join the Student Council for Exception Children at UNCC, and
volunteer for the local Autism Speaks events to further my experience with students, adults, and
children with disabilities, and give back to their community.