Personal Philosophy of Education Kristen Digby

Education at a Glance in my Classroom-

I believe every child walks into my classroom with unique personality traits, beliefs, experiences, and ways of learning. What they learn and how they learn are built on previous knowledge and experiences. This can be both a positive and a negative. If a student had a previous experience with a teacher who made them feel inferior or that their efforts were not worthy, they may feel school is pointless. My mission as a teacher is to show my students that learning can be fun, their voice matters, and they matter. Students’ social and emotional needs are just as important as academics, if not more. As a teacher, it is important that I collaborate with my co-workers, including the administration to be aware of any issues a student may be facing outside of school that may impact their learning.

Growth in Students-

The educational process is one that children should be able to grow through and as a teacher, it is my goal to foster that growth. As a teacher, it is my mission to know each of my students’ strengths as well as the areas they need extra help. It is my responsibility to provide accommodations or modifications for those students in order for them to discover and grow their strengths and be successful. I can use my strengths to help and encourage my students in this area as well.

Importance of Individuality-

I believe children should be encouraged to use their own creativity in their learning process. Students all possess their own unique talents and they should be given the opportunity to use those talents within the classroom. I feel incorporating a variety of pedagogical models such as UDL, Collaboration and Cooperative Learning, and Inquiry-based learning provides students with various opportunities for learning and encouraging creativity.

Diversity and Different Backgrounds-

As a teacher, it is my mission to provide a learning environment where students feel safe. This involves allowing students to feel safe being who they are and creating an environment where they can develop relationships with their peers and educators. This can be achieved by educators building relationships with their students and their families. A positive and simple way to build these relationships is sending home family surveys that ask about other languages spoken in the home, cultural norms within the family, and any other important information regarding the student and family. This allows the educator to be conscientious of each student and their background.

“Teaching is the highest form of understanding”-Aristotle