Jessica Colon

Educational Philosophy

EDU 276-02

2/13/20

I have started my teaching philosophy by including a photo

of a quote by Elder Robins which really impacted me. Children are

truly molded by great teachers and it is important to treat them as

an entire individual mind, body, and soul. These students are shaping our future and I want all

students of all abilities to enter my classroom knowing they are valued and truly cared for. I have

been inspired throughout my life by many situations where I came to the realization teaching was

for me. I was strongly influenced by many of my past teachers to become an educator. My most

favorite teacher who I still keep in contact with to this day was my kindergarten teacher Miss

Rachel. Kindergarten was a hard transition for me as it is for most and she was a crucial part of

helping my development. Miss Rachel paid close attention to how I was developing in

comparison to my classmates; I was a preemie and it was foreseen through my early

development that I was not as far developed as my classmates. Her connection with not only

myself but also my parents kept a strong relationship as teacher and student which is important

for proper communication. I have connected with teachers that I personally knew wanted to see

me succeed. My seventh-grade math teacher had the most impact on me. She knew I struggled in

her class and never let me give up especially if I was stuck on a certain problem and wanted to

give up. She saw the best in my ability and me as a student and even to this day when I struggle

with my math problems, I will always remember her and how much she cared to see me succeed.
She was able to connect with me because she took the time out of her teaching day to show me

how to work out a problem, or even just to see how my day was going. Devastatingly, she was

battling diabetes and during my year in her classroom, she passed away. I will never forget her

and the ability to connect and make me feel safe within her classroom, I miss her dearly and I

think about her always and her connection with not only myself but her students is a connection I

hope to one day have with my students in my classroom. Another one of my most notable

teachers was my third-grade teacher Ms. Rogers. Ms. Rogers was an influential teacher because

she was always such a positive welcoming person which made going to school everyday fun and

enjoyable. She was one of my influential educators as I hope to have the same impact on my

future students that is everlasting. These everlasting relationships with my teachers shaped my

educational philosophy. Therefore, my educational philosophy is based strongly on a student

focused classroom mainly focused on a progressivist approach. I believe students should feel

comfortable and secure in their learning environment and should be able to have a say in what

goes on in their classroom. I want my classroom to be open and interactive with feedback from

my students to encourage active participation in a safe and welcome place, which would be my

classroom.  I also believe that my classroom will be less structured minute to minute and will

have and encourage more free activities to exert energy to remain focused throughout the day

especially in an early childhood classroom. I want to have a collaborative environment to all

learners and students. I will ensure my classroom is inclusive to all diverse learners. I want my

students to walk away knowing they are valued as individuals. Overall, I hope to be the most

positive influence each student that walks into my classroom has; we are molding students that

will one day change the world and it is very important that they are educated in a comfortable,

nurturing setting.