Over the past four years I have taken many classes that have taught me about the education system in the United States.  Hearing all the different ideas has made me come up with a philosophy of my own.  There are three main areas that I think are important in the schools; discipline, parent involvement, and teaching students at their instructional level.
    I believe that discipline is very important in the classroom.  The discipline determines how well a classroom is run.  As a teacher I am going to set the rules along with the students.  Therefore they are getting to make some of the decisions and feel like they are creating the environment they will be learning in.  Once the rules are set I will have a system that will be set into place.  This system could range from cards to stink sticks.  The system will depend on what works for that group of students.  I will make sure that the students understand how the system works and than I will enforce the system when the rules are broken.  I believe that when the students see that you are not going to be playing around and do what you say you are going to do, they will follow the rules so they will not get punished.
    Parents should also be involved in what is going on in their child’s classroom.  As I begin to teach I plan on having newsletters that tell the parents what their child is doing in the classroom.  I will talk about the activities that they are doing and what themes and topics have been discussed in class.  I also want my parents to be involved in the classroom.  Having the parents in the classroom sends a message of family and home to the classroom.  The parents could come in and read to the class, help with bulletin boards, or assist in some of the lessons that are being taught.  I want the parents to feel comfortable talking to me about their child’s education, and I want to feel comfortable with the parents to talk about their child’s education.  This happens when parents are encouraged to become involved, and informed about what is happening in the classroom.
    Finally I believe that students should be challenged in the classroom.  This could be difficult since there are many different developmental stages in a regular classroom.  However, it can be done.  This last year of school I have learned about many different methods that can accommodate all the levels in your classroom.  For example: literature circles can be used to challenge the below, on and above grade level students.  Each group has reading materials that will challenge them.  They will not be frustrated or bored with what they are reading.  You can also teach math lessons that will challenge the different levels.  Math contracts are a way of doing this.  Students are all doing the same activity but they are working on the level that will be instructional to them.  Some students could be working with numbers that are higher while other students could be working with lower numbers.  Developing lessons that will cater to all the different levels will take more time but having the students learn a concept and understand it is all worth it.
    Furthering  my education has shown me things that I would not have ever considered using in a classroom setting.  I have also seen things that I would not want to use in my classroom.  From these classes I have developed my own philosophy of how a classroom should be run.  I will encourage my students in their work and push them to go to the next level.  As a begin teaching I will also be accepting of new ideas and methods that I would think works well in the classroom.  I believe that as one person teaches more and more they will build on their philosophy.  That is one thing I look forward to, trying new methods in my classroom to see if they will match with my teaching style.