My Career Plan

My philosophy as a teacher is that the child needs to come first. To say that the only thing that matters in the classroom is my teaching lesson, is to ignore the many situations that students face each day before they walk through the classroom door. The classroom is the place to provide instruction, but it should also be an environment where students feel safe to share experiences, to ask questions, and to feel respected by their teacher(s) as well as their peers. It is my job as an educator to serve as a positive role model, facilitator, and listener to ensure success in their learning environment. Educating youth cannot be done alone. It takes the work of a community to enrich, educate, and get to know the whole child. I hope to achieve this in my classroom by having an open door policy where everyone feels welcome, maintaining constant communication with parents and staff, and taking advantage of opportunities outside the classroom that will assist students in understanding and transferring skills to the real world. As an educator I will use my available resources to form relations and make connections with students in a way which will allow them to grow academically, socially, emotionally and behaviorally.

If there has been anything that I have learned in the process of continuing my own education and expanding my experiences in the classroom, it is that material should be taught in a way that allows all learners to make connections and be successful with instruction which is differentiated in order to meet their needs. Students that are gifted need to be challenged with higher level content, whereas those who are struggling to keep up with material at their grade level may require extra time or access to materials at their instructional level. There are so many more different scenarios that must be considered to ensure everyone is learning in the least restrictive environment and to the highest of their ability level.

In order for academic learning to take place with minimal discipline problems, there will be three main expectations in my classroom. Students need to be responsible, respectful, and safe at all times. If any one of these components is missing, the dynamics are tarnished and the self-esteem could be crushed. It is difficult for students then to want to take risks and for meaningful learning and relationships to occur. It is my job to build a positive learning community where everyone tries their best, encourages others, and is responsible for their actions as well as their attitudes towards others. Again the support of other professionals and parents may be necessary to achieve this goal, but when all of these elements are in place students will have the opportunity to achieve greatness in their learning environment.

My future goal is to work with any children in the school setting. I love what I do. I enjoy working with any students whether they have a disability or not because I care about tomorrow’s generation and I want to have a positive impact on their learning. At this point in my career, I have experienced teaching in both special education and regular education settings and have found them equally gratifying. I am grateful for both experiences and just hope that others will see my passion and motivation as well and allow me the opportunity to teach in their district too.