1

My Philosophy Statement

Margarita Hernandez

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 203: Introduction to Special Education

Dr. Dale Warby

September 3, 2021
 2

My Pre-Philosophy Statement

In my freshman year of high school, I started to contemplate my career choice more

seriously. My first thought was becoming a doctor or a nurse as I wanted to help people, but it

did not work out. In my sophomore year I was given the opportunity to join a teaching program

where we learned more about ourselves and what a teacher does to prepare for their students. It

was then that I realized that I wanted to become a teacher and help students to learn and gain a

good education. I had been a teacher's aide before and found being able to help the students and

do tasks that the teacher would normally do very interesting. I learned more about what goes into

creating a lesson plan, the assignments, how to set up one's classroom and how to create a good

teaching environment. I got to learn about different characteristics and qualities a teacher should

have and was told to think about what kind of teacher I wanted to be.

Once I graduated, I was told to start thinking about my teaching philosophy and how I

wanted to teach. Since then, I have come to an understanding of what type of teacher I would

like to become and what type of philosophy I would like to follow. My philosophy would be to

involve all students and encourage them to participate in classes, clubs, and different

opportunities. As well as creating a classroom free of discrimination and providing my students

with a safe space where they can go without fear of being judged. I based my philosophy off my

own experiences from school and past teachers. As I was never very outgoing or had many

friends I would always try to hide in my classes. I would sit in the back to avoid embarrassing

myself for that reason I did not participate much in my classes, but I had teachers who made me

feel comfortable and safe where I was not afraid to speak up or embarrass myself. They

encouraged me to speak and to make friends and to try new things. They created a space where
 3

me and many others felt we would not be discriminated against for lacking skills, being a

different race or liking a different gender. I want to be able to do the same as those teachers, that

is why I based my philosophy on those good experiences they created for me.

I have had multiple good and bad experiences throughout my K-12 education. Whether it

was bad experiences with teachers or students or good experiences with my friends and in my

clubs. I never went to the best schools, but I had some of the best teachers who would make us

forget that we were low-funded schools. But one of those teachers that I look up to and am very

thankful for was my Student Council teacher. I had her for four years and came to know her and

her teaching style rather well. She pushed her students to do their best and would never judge

them if their best was below others' best work. She understood that everyone has different

circumstances and was always there to offer advice on anything or provide students with

different resources if they needed them. She never judged anyone on their appearance, disability,

or background. She showed qualities that I hope to show when I become an educator, such as

being aware of how diverse her classes were and trying to accommodate the different students.

Encouraging and creating a safe space for her students. Being levelheaded and patient when

working with different students and letting students know that they are acknowledged. She

helped me gain confidence in myself and in my abilities and exposed me to different experiences

and opportunities.

In my introduction post I mentioned that she introduced us to an organization for families

with children who had autism where I had the opportunity to volunteer with. I got to meet some

cool kids and their families in providing a few days full of many different experiences for them

like rock climbing, carnival games, and obstacle courses. I got to understand the kids and learn

more about them and their stories. That experience pushed me to pursue my education career and
 4

focus on special education to be able to teach and assist students with disabilities. I hope to

volunteer more with students and kids who have different disabilities to be able to gain a broader

sense of different disabilities and further my education to be able to gain more experience and

knowledge in order to more effectively be able to teach the different students who I may teach in

the future. I also hope to meet with teachers who teach special education to get a better handle of

how they create lesson plans, plan IEPs and how to maintain a good relationship with the

students and their families. I think that with the characteristics that I mentioned before such as

being patient, encouraging, caring and understanding can help me in teaching in special

education. Since all students, regardless of whether they have a disability or their background,

deserve a teacher who can provide them with an excellent education free of discrimination of any

kind. As well as providing them with a space where they are acknowledged for their efforts and

progress.

That is why my philosophy of encouraging and involving my students and providing a

safe space free of discrimination can help me when teaching special education. I want my future

students to be able to understand that there is someone wanting to teach then and help them get

to their goal whether it involves academics or something else. When I chose to become a teacher

rather than a doctor, I realized that I would still be helping others and would be able to create an

impact on the lives of students. I would be able to help them in accomplishing their goals and

provide them with advice, resources and a safe space that many might not have otherwise. I still

have a long way to go to become a teacher and there are skills and lessons that I must enhance

and learn. But I know that once I become a teacher, I can do my best to help students and provide

them with the education they deserve.