Tyler Waller

Tch & Lrn 420

Inclusive Philosophy Statement

As I look back upon what we have learned and discussed thus far in this class, I feel that I

am able to come up with an inclusive philosophy statement that may be used in my future

classroom. Individuality and uniqueness is a value that I hold very high, in addition to this value

I believe that all individuals should be treated equally and granted the same amount of

opportunity. Whether that be in school, in the workplace, or just in society in general. This is a

belief that I have developed and altered over my 20 years on this planet so far, it is a belief that

has been established because of prior experiences, my upbringing, and the individual that I want

to be in society. Inclusivity is not only limited to physical ability but also accompanied by sex,

religion, ethnicity, and sexual preferences. I was raised to believe that no matter any of these

attributes, at the end of the day and life we are all humans and come from the same place.As

time has progressed I have realized the true value of being inclusive and the positive effect that it

has on the world and the people that inhabit this planet. With this being said, I believe that

diversity should be celebrated in a fashion that allows people to be themselves without having to

worry about being alienated or discriminated against. If everyone was the exact same, life would

be boring. There would be no bold discoveries or variation amongst groups of people. We would

be stuck. This is not a world that I would like to live in and I would hope that a vast majority of

people would agree with my stance. But of course, I am not naive to the fact that there are people

in this world that think differently than I and to that I actually support because again it fosters the

foundation that everyone is different. When two opposing ideas or biases clash, discoveries are
made and progression of understanding one another is furthered. I want to foster a classroom and

community where contrasting beliefs are welcome and even encouraged. I believe that this is a

life skill that all individuals should have. The ability to have a different opinion than someone is

a right that is granted to every individual. Through this action, individuals may learn more about

one another and reflect on their own prior experiences that lead up to having said opinion. This

holds true in the classroom, I don’t expect a single student in any of my future classrooms to

have the same exact personality, beliefs, or experience as another student. I believe that in order

to foster a theme of inclusivity in your classroom, there should first be a foundation of mutual

respect that is established from the first day. That being said, the first day of any school year is

arguably one of the most crucial days of the year. That is where expectations are set, rules are put

into place, and relationships are initiated. This is where I and other teachers should state their

inclusivity statement, highlighting their own experiences in life and how they got to where they

are now. No matter your stance on inclusivity in the classroom, teachers should be able to share

their life with their students as much as they feel comfortable. That way it is easier to create

relations with your students and build a foundation of comfortability within the walls of your

classroom. Elementary level schooling is an interesting and critical period in kids lives as it is

many students first opportunity to experience life and adversity, but most importantly to discover

who they are as people. Even though they are very young, children still have the brain capacity

to make opinions on their own and develop life skills that they will carry with them for the rest

of their lives. This is also why the role of elementary school teachers is so much larger than just

teaching things like addition, shapes, and geography. Life lessons are taught in elementary

school, life long friendships are established in elementary school, and in my opinion the person
you are destined to become begins in elementary school. With consideration of these beliefs, this

is why I think it is so important to be inclusive in school and the expectation that I intend to

demonstrate in my classroom from day 1.