Laura J. Dale
Philosophy of Teaching
By observing other
teachers, despite whether I am a student in their classroom or an observer for
my degree, I have come to realize what kind of teacher I will be. Whether or
not I agreed with these teachers’ styles of teaching, I have learned a
tremendous amount just by watching them. Thanks to these teachers with whom I
have had experience, I now have goals that I will strive to achieve in my
classroom as a teacher, and I will do all I can to ensure that my classroom is
a wonderful learning experience for my students.
My classroom will be stocked full of books. I will
have shelves and shelves of children’s books for the children to use for
pleasure and enrichment and for me
to use in lessons. Reading is essential in any classroom, and I will make sure
that I have plenty of available materials for such activities. I will use
reading, whether it is I reading aloud to students or students reading to
themselves, in any way that I can. Because every classroom will have a variety
of reading and instructional levels, I will have several different reading
groups in which the students will be divided. Every student will be assigned to
a group that is suitable for his/her needs. As a teacher, it is my duty to
ensure that all my students have full access to any materials that will enrich
their education.
One of my favorite quotes is “Dance like no one’s
watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like no one’s listening, and
live like it’s heaven on earth” (William Purkey). This quote will follow me
into my teaching career. I will be an extremely active teacher. I will not be
afraid of embarrassment when it comes to my actions in front of the classroom.
If an American History lesson is better taught while dressed like George
Washington, then I will be George Washington. I believe learning is best
learned if the students are having fun. Learning should be fun. I will not
hesitate to make myself look foolish if it will add to the importance of the
lesson. I will be determined to capture my students’ attention no matter what it
takes as long as learning is taking place.
In order to truly convey what kind of teacher I will be, I
must clarify what kind of teacher I will not be. I will not be the teacher who
stands in front of the class lecturing all day with a monotone voice and no
excitement. I will not be the kind of teacher who teaches a lesson in minimal
time and then hands out seatwork to be completed for the remainder of the class
time. I will not be the kind of teacher who immediately sends a student to the
office the first time they misbehave, however I will not tolerate negative
disruptions and students who try to walk all over the teacher. I refuse
to restrict learning in any way.
I will be exciting!
My students will be engaged in hands-on classroom activities, and I will be
engaged as an instructor who is an active participant. I will make an effort to
know all my students personally so that I can modify any lesson or activity to
better suit their individual needs. I will only be satisfied with my
performance as a teacher if my students learn the material and learn it well.
My students will look forward to coming to school. They will enjoy my classroom
environment. I will do all I can to ensure that my message is getting across to
my students. I will use many different methods for instruction and assessment,
and I will incorporate group work and independent work. I will make an effort
to reach out to the parents so that they know what is happening in their
children’s classroom. I will have close contact with parents so that they can
be involved in any way they wish to be.
My teaching philosophy is very goal oriented. But all
these things that I have mentioned are my true intentions. I will strive to be
the best teacher I can be. I will strive to be fun, resourceful, and
accessible. My classroom will have a plethora of colorful visuals to keep the
students interested and make the classroom a wonderful learning environment.
The most important part of teaching is the students. I will do all I can
to make sure I am reaching out to the students and to make sure they are learning
and progressing in my classroom. The students will not be the only ones
learning, however. I will be learning too. Throughout my whole career as a
teacher, I know that every day will be just as much as a learning experience
for me as it is for my students. But I know that I will love teaching more and
more every year. The more I learn, the more I will love it. And the more the students
learn, the more I will teach.