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Philosophy Statement
From an early age, I knew that helping and teaching was a passion of mine and becoming an
early childhood educator was what I wanted my profession to be. I remembered volunteering to
help my teachers and by high school, I volunteered with our special education program to
support teachers with children with needs. It was during my experience in high school that
solidified my decision to pursue a career of an early childhood educator. Furthermore, through
my volunteer experiences I learned how fundamental education at an early age is to the overall
success in children’s life.
My approach to teaching is hands on experiences and encouraging students to try new
activities. Thus incorporating play in teaching is important to build developmental skills in
students. Research has demonstrated that play helps young children to learn, and it is associated
with social and academic outcomes (Cutter-MacKenzie et al., 2014). In addition, when students
engage in play, they have countless opportunities for learning. Furthermore, incorporating play
in teaching practices allows students to stay engage and build skills as they learn.
I believe that early childhood educators must pose certain qualities to be effective teachers
such as strong skills in communication, listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy patience,
and passionate to teach. These qualifications are needed in order to have a meaningful impact in
the life of the students. Throughout my education and professional experiences, these seven core
qualifications are key.
For me teaching goes beyond the individual student and the classroom setting. I like to focus
on a holistic approach to teach which means involvement of parents/guardian in the students
learning journey. Furthermore, I like to be aware of the community and background of the
students in order to be culturally appropriate in my approach. A key role for me as an educator is
to be a collaborative partner, to understand how family plays a role in the education of a student.
Growing up I was fortunate to cross paths with teachers that invested in the future of their
students. My teachers went beyond the classroom setting education. I had opportunities to
experience things my parents were unable to share with me and showed me my potential that I
could be anything I wanted to be. Therefore, when I think about the education professional I see
how teachers can change the life of students and I strive to be like those teachers who invested in
children like me. Reminding me, a quote that one of those teachers would share from a Dr. Seuss
book “You’ll never be bored when you try something new. There’s really no limit to what you
can do!”
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” Nelson
Mandela. As educators, we are responsible to providing the access to this power that will open
opportunities to children for the rest of their lives. To make long lasting change in the world,
their needs to be more diverse educated individuals that are able to advocate for change. The role
of an early childhood educator is fundamental in starting the journey of learning and change in
the beginning of a child’s life.
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Reference

Cutter-MacKenzie, A., Edwards, S., Moore, D., Boyd, W. (2014). Young children’s play and

environmental education in early childhood education. Cham: Springer.