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Justyne Varsallona

Professor Saladino

Edu 201-1001

2 December 2018

Philosophy of Education

I knew I wanted to become a teacher because of my grandmother. She was a teacher and

every summer I would help her decorate, rearrange, and clean her classroom. It became an

annual tradition that I would get excited to do. I used to imagine that it was my classroom and I

could move the desks and cabinets wherever I wanted. From there she connected me with a

tutoring program, and I would tutor students as a part time job from eighth grade to my senior

year in high school. I loved tutoring in almost every subject, my favorite subject was pre-

algebra! Pre-algebra was the area where math introduced letters and it got a little difficult, so

after someone I tutored mastered an equation, it was the most rewarding feeling. I also work as a

science presenter at a museum, I love being able to explain concepts and ideas like combustions

and archeology to kids and making them interested in learning. I would say that from an early

age, education has surrounded me and has been a part of me. I know the school system is broken,

class rooms are over populated, teachers are not being paid enough, and there are people in this

profession who just should not be there. I am also aware that Nevada is last in education, our test

scores are terrible, and college readiness is at an all-time low. But I want to be a teacher who

cares, supports, and motivates her students and makes her students want to learn and have fun

while they are doing it. I think if students enjoyed their education and what they are learning, the

material will come easier and everything else will improve.

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The educational philosophy that dictated my current beliefs about education is

behaviorism. Because elementary education is with the younger students, I think rewards are

very helpful and drive performance. I also want to create a positive learning environment and

space for students. Based on what I have learned about education and how far we have come, I

want to ensure equal opportunities for all my students and make my classroom a safe space for

everyone.

Some teaching strategies I will use will be less lecturing and more discussions, I want my

classroom to be very fluid. I also want to implement group work and projects, those elements

along with discussions will make interaction and participation in my classroom thrive and allow

everyone to be interested in what is being taught. For seating arrangements, I want student

groups to be well mixed, having students with high, low, and average scores all in groups so that

they can all help and learn from one another. For assessing students, I want to be an observer and

overhear conversations and listen to the connections that are being made. I physically want to the

student grasping and understanding a subject so that they know more than how to get the answer,

they can explain it and tell you the steps they have taken to get their answer. I think this will

make students more comfortable and familiar with what they are learning and improve their

overall test scores.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done before I can consider myself a teacher

and before I can be the kind of teacher that I want to be. Some qualities I need to obtain will be

finding out my teaching style and perfecting it and working on it every day. I need to be more

selective with my word choice and make my sentences more concise. Before I become a teacher,

I need to finish up my schooling, I need a Bachelors in Elementary Education, I need to take my

praxis, and become licensed. I want to become a teacher's aide and gain formal education
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experience and I want to volunteer where I can and get my foot in the door in the Clark County

School District. I want to build connections for my career and find a mentor who can help me

along the way.