Maya Bryant

Philosophy

I am a trained pre k - 6th grade teacher. My professional philosophy is to meet each

student where they are mentally, emotionally, and physically. To encourage students to be the

very best they can be in an open, safe, fun, interactive, environment. I strive to walk into my

classroom every day with an unbiased and open mind ready to learn as much from and about my

students as they are to learn the materials from me. My philosophy is to have parents as involved

in the learning process as possible which means there will be a lot of interaction between myself

and the parents. I will use Dojo, which provides an open line of communication. It is best to be

sure we are all on the same page.

Like I mentioned above I work to have an open, safe, and interactive environment. To do

this my role is to mentor and support each student effectively. I have learned from experience

that to be a successful teacher one must make connections with students instead of forming a

relationship. I will use the positive classroom management philosophy which means I will not

use punishment instead I will use gold stars and preferred jobs in class to praise the behavior I

see from our students. I will rotate the students through the jobs regularly and daily expectations

will be posted on the board every morning. I must earn the trust of each student without losing

respect from them and also becoming an emotional crutch. For example I will remain open and

honest when I make mistakes and when answering questions posed from the students. That

honesty earns trust and keeps an environment open. To keep the learning environment safe, I

have rules in place that clearly state what behavior will and will not be tolerated in the

classroom. Such as: 1. Use kind words 2. Listen when others are talking 3. Follow directions 4.

Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat . and 5. Keep hands, feet, and objects to
yourself. It is my role as an educator to capture the attention and engage our students in their

own learning. To do this I must ask questions and plan activities to help foster the learning

process without giving the answers. I ask open ended questions and provide feedback and

positive criticism without discouraging the student. It is my job to address the common

misconceptions and iron them out while students connect what they are learning to what they

already know.

Just as it is my job to keep the learning environment open, safe, and interactive, it is our

students' jobs as well. Their role in my classroom is to follow the rules that are colorfully posted

around the room. Students in my classroom are responsible for their own learning. By this I

mean each student is responsible for coming to class willing and ready to learn. It is their job to

be curious and use the resources provided to ask and answer questions they have about the

curriculum. I will assign groups that best fit our students' learning style. Within that group they

have the opportunity to teach each other what their peers don't fully understand and by doing this

they reinforce what they themselves already know. This is called the cooperative learning style.

It encourages students to work cooperatively in small groups as well as independently working

on their own learning skills at their own pace. This teaching style can be integrated into daily

instruction and structured to have students compete as well as encourage their individuality and

communication skills. It is the students' role to interact with each other. My philosophy will help

each student have a successful learning career, become a helpful contributor to their community,

and become more confident in themselves.