Rebecca Hart

Educational Philosophy

When asked the question of why I want to be a teacher, the answer was always

simple. I would always say that it was because I just knew that I wanted to be a teacher

ever since I was a little girl. My reasoning for being a teacher was because I liked playing

“teacher” at home, and I wanted to help people. However, as I have grown up and gone

through high school and college, my answer of why I want to be a teacher has changed

dramatically. I want to be a teacher for many different reasons, the biggest being that I

want to make a difference in the lives of children. I want to be a role model for my students

and I want my students to reach their full potential. I have always believed that education is

so important and there is something new to learn every single day. Education is important

because it is a huge part of development and it is the foundation to a person’s life.

Education gives people the opportunity to not only gain knowledge, but the tools for

success in the future. It has been the gateway to success for many people in the world, and I

can’t wait to be a small stepping stone in my students lives and help them obtain that

success. I want to change the world of education by being the best teacher that I can be. The

most important aspect of teaching to me is not only being able to teach basic lessons and

subjects such as math, science, social studies, reading, and writing, but being able to teach

life lessons. I want to become personal with my students and show them that I am a person

outside of school and I go through hard times just like everyone else. I want to be an

advocate for my students and make it known that they can come to me with anything they

need to.
 I have been lucky to have always have influential teachers from elementary school

to college that have taught me life lessons and added to the reason why I want to be a

teacher. One theory that I plan to implement into my teaching and into my classroom is the

concept of positive reinforcement. B.F. Skinner came up with this theory and believed that

“positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence an individual

finds rewarding” (McLeoud, 2018). I plan to use this as a behavior management technique

in my classroom. For example, I will give my student’s a prize for completing a certain task

which will make them more likely to complete that task in the future. I think using positive

reinforcement will also help promote student learning. Another theory that I plan to

implement into my classroom is Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.

“Gardner theorizes that people do not have just an intellectual capacity, but have many

kinds of intelligence, including musical, interpersonal, spatial-visual, and linguistic

intelligences” (Cherry, 2019). I believe in this theory and I think that students can learn in

many different ways. I want to implement different activities in my classroom and become

very aware of what types of learners my students are so that I can accommodate them in

the best way possible.

Overall, I believe that every student has the opportunity to learn. I believe that with

hard work and practice any student can be successful in the classroom. I know that if I can

touch the life of at least one student than I will have done my job right. I am going to teach

from my heart and believe in my students.