My Philosophy of Education
Access
Students with special needs should be given the same opportunities as their peers. When students are taught that something is wrong they mirror actions, the moment a teacher treats a student with special needs differently is when their peers will also treat them differently. I have been lucky enough to be in classrooms where teachers have created a safe and nurturing environment for their students where everyone felt included. Students with special needs were given the extra help they needed but were still held accountable for doing the work, the students that needed someone to write for them still had to verbally share the answer. There is always a way to help students grow and learn it won’t always be the same way for everyone.
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Inclusion
Students who require special education should not be separated from their peers because teaching everyone in the same space gives neurotypical students the opportunity to learn about empathy and to understand that because someone has a disability it doesn’t mean they are less than or should be treated differently. It also gives younger students the opportunity to understand that if they require help that they can ask for. Students that notice that a student has to sit closer to the board because they can't see will most likely also ask to be moved because they have a hard time seeing the board. A student that requires an in-class tutor to help keep them on track may inspire other students to seek out help.
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Resources
My students will have the opportunity to access all available information through various different forms. Such as, Text, Video, Audio/Podcasts, presentations. I want to be well involved in what my students are viewing and not have to rely so much on Wi-Fi I intend on creating as much content as I can for my students. I will also make sure to provide resources for them such as whom they can contact for help, when I observe that they may need extra assistance. In order to provide the best resources for my students, I will focus on being well informed of external resources or if I can’t help I will make sure to know whom to ask and what are the correct procedures.
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Future classroom
My classroom will be well structured. The rules for the class will be written out clearly and where students can see them. I plan on including several different forms of information. I will try to help every student and their different learning styles, one student may need to hear me explain it verbally another student may need to watch how I do it step by step over a projector. I also want to make sure my classroom has the tools readily available for my students who want to access the information. I also want to include visual slides and presentations that students will also be able to access online or in person. If I am able to create clear concise information for my students in different learning styles this can be information I can use for years.
My Responsibilities
My responsibilities as a teacher are abundant but for me the most difficult one has been to keep my word no matter how hard it can be for me or my students, an example being when a student breaks a rule not letting it slide but correcting them on their behavior and explaining why their actions have consequences so that the students can learn from their mistakes. It’s difficult for me because as someone who has experience in the classroom I’ve seen first-hand how students struggle learning from extremely strict educators but also from teachers who let anything go and have a nonchalant approach to teaching. My responsibility as an educator is to make sure to keep a balance of structure and freedom of creativity to provide an ideal space for learning.
Previous Experience
In high school, I was part of a program for students who knew they wanted to become teachers, The President's Middle College Scholars Program. I joined this program my sophomore year of high school. At 17 I had 2 years of experience volunteering in the classroom in grades K-6th. Part of the program meant I was attending high school while also attending a community college and getting ahead on my G.E. courses to help launch my education career. I was able to meet more like-minded people my age who knew they wanted to go into teaching. I learned at a young age the importance of teamwork and networking. I was also lucky enough to volunteer at different schools through this program and the exposure to working inside a classroom really helped to confirm my aspirations to become a teacher.
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Soon after graduating High School, I was accepted to CSULB pursuing my Bachelors in Art Education during my orientation I was presented another opportunity for young educators, California Mini Corps, this program was aimed towards helping first-generation students of immigrant parents to continue through into college, I worked for this program for three in a half years there I taught a Saturday STEAM class and would help tutor students during and after school. Often being a translator for parents and students.
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Throughout all of my experiences good and bad, I have felt more and more motivated to become an Educator, working with students is so rewarding and although it can be difficult every day I would go into work there was always something that reminded me why I chose to pursue education. I cant wait to begin teaching in person again.