Lynnea Summerscales

Fall 2021
EDUC 620
Personal Philosophy of Education

Often when people hear the word teacher they think of blackboards and apples. For me

the word teacher prompts me to think of a strong sturdy bridge. Bridges are built out of a need

for connection, and as an educator your ability to make connections is what nurtures and fosters

learning. The connections you make with your students, their families, coworkers, support staff

and the curriculum are what will make your classroom successful. I believe that as an educator

one of your main objectives is to form these relationships. When relationships within education

are formed based on trust and respect, the pathway to learning becomes clear. All children grow

and thrive in the context of close and dependable relationships that provide love and nurturance,

security, and responsive interactions. Strain, Joseph (2001).

To truly allow students to cultivate their learning, a teacher needs to be prepared and have

a good understanding of supports and accessibility for all students. This is important because

each child will enter the classroom with a different set of abilities and beliefs that will shape the

way they interact with the world and others. This is the beauty of inclusion and individualism,

for the students will each bring something different to the class and share their ideas and

inspirations. My personal philosophy of education centers around the belief that an inclusive

setting is beneficial for students within the early childhood environment. Research from EC

Inclusion The Preschool Inclusion Toolbox: How to Build and Lead a High-Quality Program

shows that teachers and parents of children with and without disabilities have positive views

about early childhood inclusion, and children with and without disabilities benefit from attending

quality inclusive early childhood settings. With a keen understanding of the Universal Design

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for Learning Framework and strategies that include a good working knowledge of curriculum

modifications such as differentiation, an effective teacher can make learning accessible to all

abilities and make inclusion possible.

Working at the Capital Area Intermediate Unit in the Early Intervention program has

given me experience teaching students with a wide variety of skills and needs. I am currently

teaching an inclusive preschool classroom that is in a community setting. My direct students all

have IEPs which I maintain. Supports and direct instruction are provided by myself and an

educational team which I lead, that includes an occupational therapist, speech and language

therapist, a physical therapist, and an educational paraprofessional. My students join a classroom

that has two community teachers and an average of 14 students. The supports that we provide

are beneficial to all students and the typical students serve as models for our students with

developmental delays or Autism. The two educational theories I utilize the most in my career is

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development and Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. I

work closely with the assessment team at the CAIU to create IEP goals that support students in

their educational journey and that includes individualized instruction based on developmentally

appropriate targets and scaffolding.

The students work well together in the inclusive setting and as teachers we foster their

relationships and use their differences to teach about acceptance. The ages of my students are

between 3 and 5, however because most of them have a developmental delay and they are just

starting to enter the preoperational stage of development. Pretend play is a major turning point

in this stage. As the pre-operational stage develops egocentrism declines and children begin to

enjoy the participation of another child in their games and “let’s pretend “ play becomes more

important. McLeod, S. A. (2018).

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 In an inclusive environment, typical peers are used as models, which in turn leads to

productive imaginative play. Along with peers I also believe it is important for the teachers to

model appropriate play skills. Most of the time in the classroom you will find me sitting on the

floor playing with the students. This is the best part of my job! There is a tremendous amount of

learning that is done through play, however the key to ensuring that is possible is through

modeling and pairing with students. Most teachers in the community do not have the same

vision for play, they see “free play” as a time they are allowing the students to be busy, and the

teachers take a step back to assume other responsibilities. Unfortunately, this is typical across

the board as a study done in 2014 using the ICP (Inclusive Classroom Profile) to assess the

effectiveness of inclusive preschool programs shows that the lowest rating was given for the

category of “Adult Guidance of Children’s play”. Soukakou, Winton, West, Sideris, Rucker

(2015). I believe you can allow students to have “Free” time playing while still guiding the

social aspects of play. Not to mention the power you gain from the relationship you build during

the experience of playing with a child. It speaks volumes to a child when you take time to sit

down with them and drive cars, take care of a baby doll or build a Lego castle.

Along with the believe that inclusion is an ideal setting for most children. I also strongly

believe that relationship building is extremely important in education. Teaching starts with the

child but should also be extended to partnering community teachers, parents, educational team,

and anyone that has an impact on the success of the child. As a teacher in the community my

goal is to provide supports, materials and to model appropriate technics while working with

students and families.

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 In the classroom there are things that we can control and then there are variables.

Variables are inevitable within the classroom, and because of this you need flexibility. While I

do believe that planning Is necessary, so is the ability to read the room. By that I mean you must

be willing to accept when something isn’t working. That is why assessment is so important.

Formative assessment should be utilized to gauge the effectiveness of your lessons. This gives

you the ability to modify activities and lesson plans to improve student attainment. Other

variables you will find within a classroom include students who come from homes in which

English is the second language, or students who are nonverbal. Because these students have

additional challenges, supports can be put into place to guarantee success such as assistive

technology and visuals.

Attending Eastern has given me a new perspective on serving others and being active

within the community. The standards that Eastern University sets for their graduates serves as

reminder that you can and will make a difference. Eastern University has provided me with the

knowledge I need to relate to others within a variety of locations, including parents, colleagues,

and students. In summary I see true learning as an organic process in which the student creates a

light from within where pride and self-confidence shine. The teacher’s job is to keep that light

burning by using best practices to ensure a safe, loving place for students to share experiences

and grow into their own. Teachers are more than black boards and apples; they are the bridge

forming a connection to learning.

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Sources

McLeod, S. A. (2018). Preoperational stage. Simply Psychology.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/preoperational.html

Erin E. Barton and Barbara J. Smith. The Preschool Inclusion Toolbox: How to Build and Lead a
High-Quality Program. Copyright © 2015 Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co

Elena P.Soukakou, Pam J. Winton, Tracey A West, John H. Sideris, and Lia M.Rucker.
Measuring the quality of inclusive Practices: Findings from the Inclusive Classroom Profile
Pilot. By Journal of Early Intervention. 2014, Vol. 36. Copywrite 2015 SAGE publication.

Gail E. Joseph, Ph.D., & Phillip S. Strain, Ph.D. Building Positive Relationships with Young
Children. 200 Center on Evidence Based Practices for Early Learning University of Colorado at
Denver. The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning. Vanderbilt
University. vanderbilt.edu/csefel.