Philosophy of Education Statement

I believe the purpose of education is to help students reach their full potential. The best
teachers are those who assist every student, no matter their background or learning barriers, in
realizing their own potential. Every student is capable of academic success and thus when
teaching I hold all students to high academic and behavioral expectations in order to push them
further along in their academic journey so that they will be more likely to succeed both in school
and later in life. In order to be an outstanding teacher one must be dedicated to student success,
a continuous learner, flexible, and culturally responsive..
The best teachers are those who believe every student is capable of success, and will
work hard to adjust and refine their pedagogy based on student data and feedback in order to
help students achieve their goals. Outstanding teachers pursue continuous learning relative to
their content area and pedagogy in order to improve their teaching practice. This includes
soliciting feedback from colleagues, seeking out and attending professional development, and
constantly pursuing a deeper understanding of their subject area. Lastly in order to be an
outstanding teacher one has to be flexible. When I interned in London, England for a semester,
the school I taught at serviced students with severe mental illnesses. Each day I had to adjust my
pedagogy based on the students' challenging behaviors. While the changes in student behavior
day to day many not be as extreme in a mainstream school, every day, and every year, students
will present different needs and interests. An outstanding teacher will be flexible enough in their
pedagogy to meet those needs.
In order for schools and teachers to be successful in educating their students, the whole
school must take a culturally responsive approach to schooling. Schools are becoming more
diverse as immigration and migration rates climb around the world. Students with different
backgrounds learn in different ways, and find certain curriculum and pedagogy more engaging
than others. There is not one formula to make a school culturally responsive, as that depends on
the students and community members that attend the school. But teachers need to consistently
adjust their pedagogy and content in order to make education relevant and useful for their
students, thus giving their students higher chances of success.
In order for all students to reach their full potential teachers also need to differentiate
instruction both across lessons and within lessons. When developing units of study teachers
need to employ a variety of teaching methods including group work, short lectures, and artistic
activities which allows students with different capabilities access to content and skills. In order
to engage students with different learning styles and interests, teachers can also provide
students with choice, engaging them with either content or projects that are more aligned
with their individual interests and learning styles.
Schools also must strive to become engaged with the community to which the school
belongs. They need to come up with creative ways to engage parents beyond the typical parentteacher conferences and cupcake sales in the cafeteria. Schools exist to prepare students for their
future participation in their local, national, and global communities so thus schools need to
recognize and respond to the needs of the community members. This can include but is not
limited to training teachers to understand and look past language barriers that may exsist, having
teaches become involved in local community events, and having the school be a place where
members of the community feel welcomed and valued.