Teaching Philosophy

Working with Children I

Juliana Barco
January 13, 2017
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I believe life is about gaining knowledge and sharing what we have learned. Education is

a lifelong process with many building blocks, which begin at early childhood education. I believe

that the main goal of teaching is to create a positive and safe learning environment for all kids.

Teaching is like being a detective trying to solve a mystery. In order to fit the needs of one

student, the teacher must spend time investigating them. The teacher should gather evidence

about this child in order to determine the way they grow and develop.

I believe teachers should give students the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas

throughout the day. It is the instructors job to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of each

individual student. I feel it is also the teachers responsibility to help the children improve every

day. All children deserve to have the highest quality education that can be provided to them;

therefore, the teacher should have a strong education at a high level. An early educator should be

a mentor and a director to the children they are teaching. An early childhood educator should

also be patient and flexible to fit the needs of every child. A teacher should be able to gather

evidence in order to create a strong lesson to fit the needs of the students in the class. I feel a

good education comes from a teacher who is prepared to fit the needs of each individual child.

Like a detective, an excellent teacher should always evaluate their lessons after they have been

implemented and see what worked or didnt work. They should be able to make improvements

when needed. A teacher should be creative and enthusiastic toward their lesson in order to gain

the childrens attention. A teacher should be able to create a strong bond with each student in

order for them to trust him/her.

An early childhood education classroom should have an organized, clean, and safe

environment to be in. The classroom should be a place where the students will feel engaged in

learning and will be able to interact with the things around them. I also believe a clean, organized
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environment for the teacher is important. Each child needs to be engaged in learning through

interacting, discovering, and problem solving. I believe students should learn how to interact

with others through: student to student, student to self, and student to teacher situations. The

teacher should have prepared challenging lessons to help the child prepare for the future.

Scaffolding, a term discovered by Lev Vygotsky, is an effective tool in guiding students (Herr,

J., 2016, P. 80). Scaffolding is a process where assistance is provided by an adult or another child

to support a childs learning. This is used by many teachers because the support moves the child

from his current developmental level to a higher one. Each teacher should be able to not only

give and demonstrate directions, but also allow the students to take initiative to do it on their own

with little help. The children should be given materials that relate to the lesson and can be

manipulated because I believe children learn by doing. Hands on activities to teach science,

math, and language are the best way for early childhood students. The children should also

develop a deep love and respect for themselves during these early childhood years. When the

voice of each student is heard, an environment where the students feel free to express themselves

evolves. By setting fair and consistent rules, students are shown respect for their presence and

time, leading them to learn to respect themselves, others, and the environment.

For myself, teaching provides an opportunity for continual learning and growth. One of

my goals as an educator is to create a love of learning in my students. My overall goal is to focus

on the individual needs of the student as well as their personal development. Each student will

have the opportunity to learn in a safe and positive environment. After each students needs are

discovered and met, like a detective, the teacher will have done her job correctly. As a teacher, I

will strive to be the best, high qualified, organized, and effective teacher in order to provide the

best learning environment possible. I will create a love of learning in each student by
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experimenting with different methods and ways to each. I will be able to improve each student

by also improving myself.

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References

Herr, J. (2016). Working with young children (eighth edition). Illinois: The Goodheart-Willcox

Company, Inc.