Teaching is not a profession one goes into to earn a great deal of money, one becomes a teacher for the pure joy of watching children learn and helping them grow into mature and educated adults.  I selected elementary education because of my great love of children.  Children are the future of our nation and world and their learning, as students, affects who they will become as adults.  I want to help them grow to be the best they can be.  My decision t become a teacher was greatly influenced by my mother's thirty-three year career as a high school mathematics teacher.  I have grown up seeing both sides of the teaching profession, both as a student and as a teacher's helper.  I love watching her interact with her students, she is a natural teacher .  She draws students in and makes learning math not seem so much of a chore.
        My philosophy of teaching has been greatly influenced by my mother.  I have watched her progress through her career and have seen what it is that works and what is not effective.  She sees herself as a leader for her students, not only does she see her students as willing listeners, but also as friends and worthwhile associates in there math class.
        I base my own philosophy on this idea of a partnership.  I want my students not only to see me as their teacher, but I want them to see me as a person who is willing and able to help them in any way.  I believe the focus of education should stem from the students own ideas and values.  the curriculum should be based on the needs and interests of the students rather than just going by the traditional curriculum so many teachers follow.  the things that I believe to be important in education involve a great deal of student led classes and the teacher acting mainly as a facilitator.  I believe the best teachers encourage individuality and awareness of self in their students.  Students should be allowed to respond either negatively or positively to the material that they are presented.  Students should play a large role in deciding what and how they learn.  My philosophy follows the progressivism idea, "the curriculum focuses on the child rather than the subject matter.  the students' interests are important: integrating, thinking, feeling, and doing is important.  Learners are active and learn to solve problem's by reflecting on their experiences in learning."  Education should not remain stagnant, it needs to be flexible and allow for change depending on the classes particular learning style.
        I became a teacher because of my great love of learning and my desire to continue my education throughout my lifetime.