Philosophy of Education

I believe the purpose of education is exploration. It encourages us to work with others

and learn about our world, but also to discover our own identity and role in society. As a

teacher, I believe it is my role to create a cultivating, safe environment where everyone can

express themselves and grow into who they are and what they want to be in life. I envision

myself like a coach. I will lead my students and guide them towards success but also support

their own aspirations and growth. I see a teacher as a hope and inspiration for others, motivating

them to find their own passion and place in life.

To me, the classroom is first a community. The first people in this community are the

students. Coming from various backgrounds, we acknowledge and accept each other’s

differences and celebrate diversity. To nurture diversity, I believe in providing students with

multiple opportunities. For instance, we can read books that feature authors of various

background in addition to having assignments/projects that motivate students to embrace and

become more aware/accepting of diversity. Along with diversity, I regard global awareness to be

a vital part of learning. As students spend a majority of time in the classroom, I want this space

also to serve as a place to create a sense of place in the world. To do that, I consider global

awareness necessary because it develops our understanding of our vast world. I can bring in

global awareness through assignments and class discussions. Likewise, I can work with the

school to establish more global awareness clubs and classes.

The second people in this community are the parents, teaching colleagues, and

administration. Even though they may not be in the classroom as frequently as students, they are

still just as important. I view our relationship as teammates. Being a teammate means
contributing new ideas and helping others. It also entails having respect for each other and

everyone working together towards achieving goals.

The classroom is also a place of learning. It is the great unknown that stirs curiosity and

challenge. I will engage students in this environment by teaching in creative, fun ways. I

believe that lessons need to be interactive and relative to the real-world in order to keep students

interested. I also want to be very passionate when I teach. Not only will this show students who

I am and allow me to create connections with them, but part of what I have noticed and also

experienced as a student is that when the teacher was excited about teaching, I was excited to

learn. I remember my 8th grade English teacher reading texts aloud with such emotion you could

tell he had a strong love for the subject. It made me want to see English the way he saw it.

While I want to draw in students and inspire them, I also want to challenge them. I want

to implement project-based learning. This strategy will let students collaborate with others, get

creative with assignments, and make them reflect on their own goals/aspirations along with the

ones defined for each lesson. I had a professor who executed this type of instruction and I found

that instead of focusing on getting an assignment done just for the sake of a good grade, I was

invested in what I did. I was less afraid to try more artistic approaches to my work because it

was highly encouraged! I also find that this instructional strategy can fit many needs as I can

offer multiple options for projects that can cater to the needs of individual learners to the needs

of the entire class.

Overall, I want to make the students the center. While the content is important, the

people are more important. This is the time where students are growing physically, emotionally,

and exploring their own identity. We need a place where students can find themselves, be

challenged, and be inspired. That place is the classroom.