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Standard #1.1: Philosophy of Education

The teacher demonstrates an understanding of how to promote learners’ growth and development
showing a commitment to using learners’ strengths as a basis for growth, and their
misconceptions as opportunities for learning and the recognition of the value of the input and
contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting
each learner’s development.

I hadn’t given much thought to my philosophy of education before I started the Master of

Arts in Teaching program through University of Alaska Southeast (UAS). I only knew that

teaching was a career I had always thought about pursuing, maybe because both my parents were

educators, or because I have always enjoyed being around kids. From a young age, I knew I

wanted to be a mother first and foremost. So, when my two children reached school age, I knew

it was time to go back to school and get my master’s degree; Elementary Education was the only

choice that I wanted to pursue.

When I started the MAT program at UAS, my philosophy of education was more

centered around love and kindness than growth and learning. After all, I valued my kids’

teachers who proved their affection through meaningful connections. These were the teachers

who invited families to their homes for backyard barbeques or planned extravagant parties and

“midnight recess” at the end of the school year. Their passion and dedication to building rapport

with families astounded and inspired me. On my portfolio website for one of my earliest MAT

classes I wrote in my blog:

“We all have different personalities and priorities in the classroom. This is what
motivates me today. I want to "fill buckets" and choose my words carefully. My goal
is to create a safe learning environment where respect for classmates is prioritized.
We'll never fully know what kind of home our students go home to each day, but we
can create a warm and supportive environment at school. Our words and actions will
echo long after the final bell rings.”
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After teaching my first 4th grade class this year, I learned my philosophy of education is,

indeed, less about emotions and love. It’s more about finding the delicate balance between

personal warmth, firm boundaries, and high expectations for learning. While a few of my ideas

and practices changed during my first year of teaching, I still believe that most children are

already intrinsically motivated to learn and will do best in a warm and healthy learning

environment. I know now that it’s not always rainbows, but kindness and personal warmth

really do go a long way! I also still believe that students will perform better academically when

they feel accepted and cared for at school.

As Zaretta Hammond describes in Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain (2015),

my role as teacher should be the “warm demander.” The warm demander is an ally. She is a

teacher who balances warmth and high expectations of her students. The warm demander has

built a relationship of trust within the classroom. She allows students to oversee their own

learning while providing rich and exciting material and content. She provides guidance and

support through corrective feedback. The warm demander is who I seek to be as a teacher.

I have also found that building and nurturing strong alliances with my students allows for

more meaningful connections with their families. My view of the importance of parental

involvement stems from Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (1978, as cited in Martin and Torok-

Gerard, 2019). He describes a child’s active role in their own cognitive development through

relationships with more knowledgeable adults. Through my attempts to personify the warm

demander this year, the difficult conversations with families weren’t really all that difficult. I

believe that overall, the parents of my students trusted my sincerity when I needed to voice

concern or share words of support for my students.

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The alliance formed between teacher and students allowed for a greater rapport with

families. In an online article I found helpful, Provenzano (2014) highlights three ways to

connect with your students through intentional conversation about personal interests, attending

extra-curricular activities, and being available to students During lunchtime in my classroom, we

share “Good Things” daily. Students share a good thing happening in their lives and we really

get to know about one another through this. I also held 2-minute check ins with kids during the

first few minutes of their recess. My students knew that if they needed to chat about anything

happening at home or in school, they could stay and chat with me while I warmed up my lunch.

Topics ranged from strained friendships, missing family in the village, parents getting divorced,

thoughts of self-harm, OCS visits, women’s shelter stays, and the need for more food at home. I

did everything I could to get them the support they needed. Hugs and tears were shared. The kids

in my classroom trusted me to help because I showed up for them this year. I attended their

basketball games, got involved in their P.E. class, and let them know I was available to talk

about anything. I believe that I will only get better at establishing this mutual respect between

myself, my students, and their families as I continue my career in education. I have learned from

some of the best.

Establishing strong relationships with students and their families allows me to easily

identify students’ academic strengths and build upon them. In my classroom, I do my best to

choose words of encouragement carefully. I have learned that feedback which is immediate and

specific works best to support learners’ intellectual growth as discussed by Landrigan and

Mulligan (2013). They suggest that when students have a specific learning goal, immediate

feedback helps remind learners of that goal. This led me to practice quickly grading papers so

that students got feedback as soon as possible. Similarly, I buy into Peter Johnston’s (2012) ideas
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that the type of feedback a teacher gives matters. In Opening Minds, Johnston highlights the

difference between praise and being positive, as well as some negative effects of offering

students shallow praise instead of productive feedback.

It is through strong personal connections, parental involvement, along with positive and

specific feedback that I am able to promote academic growth and development in my classroom.

I believe relationships are where trust begins. From there, academia flows naturally because the

students trust my authority as well as my willingness to pivot and learn alongside them. In the

end, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows; difficult conversations and redirection are part of the

process. But building healthy trust and rapport with students and families is the first crucial step

in building a successful classroom environment.

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References
Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching & the brain. Corwin.

Johnston, P. (2012). Opening minds: Using language to change lives. Stenhouse.

Landrigan, C. & Mulligan, T. (2013). Assessment in perspective: Focusing on the reader behind

the numbers. Stenhouse.

Martin, J.L. & Torok-Gerard S.E. (2019). Educational psychology: History, practice, research

& the future. Praeger.

Provenzano, N. (2014). 3 ways to make meaningful connections with your students. Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/make-meaningful-connections-with-students-nick-

provenzano