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When educating young children, I believe it is important to consider the latent qualities

and abilities that they can develop. This is because I see the child as having potential. I chose the

image of a child as having potential, for oftentimes, people have a rigid definition of success.

Because of this, teachers often overlook children who do not fit this rigid definition, delaying

–and sometimes even preventing– students from reaching their full potential. When given the

proper environment and opportunities, all children have the ability to blossom into successful

individuals. I believe that while no two children are the same, every child is distinctively talented

and capable of becoming their best self. Growing up, I had the experience of feeling restricted by

the traditional ways of education. Traditional education does not recognize one's unique abilities.

I feel as though this leaves many students behind. When it comes to my own students, I do not

want to leave anyone behind. Rather, I choose to see each child for the potential they possess.

Seeing the child in such a light affects the way in which I will teach, for it stresses the

importance of individualized learning. In order to ensure all children have the opportunity to be

their best selves, the process of adjusting a lesson to fit each child’s needs is essential. The key to

achieving that is by differentiating to ensure that every child is seen. Furthermore, I believe in

acting as a facilitator to help scaffold students toward success, similar to the Reggio Emilia

approach. This allows students to learn independently with the guidance of others. Teachers

acting as facilitators should encourage their students, help them when needed, and not be

overbearing. Additionally, it gives students more self-autonomy to actively pursue their strengths

and ultimately flourish. With my philosophy of seeing the child as having potential, I hope to

positively impact my students by lifting them up and helping them become confident, successful

individuals beyond the scope of the classroom and into their adult lives.
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References

Kostelnik, M. J., Soderman, A. K., Whiren, A. P., & Rupiper, M. L. (2019).

Developmentally appropriate curriculum: Best practices in early childhood

education (seventh edition ). Pearson.

McNally, S. A., & Slutsky, R. (2016). Key elements of the Reggio Emilia Approach and

how they are interconnected to create the highly regarded system of early

childhood education. Early Child Development and Care, 187(12), 1925–1937.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2016.1197920

Link to video: https://youtu.be/Hx28WRgwmU4