My Teaching Philosophy

Ive always enjoyed working with children; Ive been doing so from a very young age. I stated out as the neighborhood babysitter, sitting on weekends and school breaks, I enjoyed babysitting so much that I went onto to being a nanny when I got older. Due to my passion for working with young children and the joy it brings me watching them grow and develop, I decided to pursue a degree in early childhood education so I could continue to work in the field that brings me joy. As a teacher I believe that I play a major role in the success of my students development success emotionally, socially, physically and intellectually. I believe that children learn in many different ways and one of these ways are, learning by modeling what they see. So as a teacher I believe that I should set good examples for my students, by modeling love, respect and acceptance. As a teacher I will do so by showing love to all students, I will respect my students, families and colleagues and I will be accepting of students no matter their differences. As a teacher I will provide resources to families to help them meet their childs/childrens needs. I believe a childs environment impacts his or her ability to learn and be successful at meeting appropriate developmental milestones. I believe such an environment should first and foremost be safe, to prevent and reduce injuries. After safety the environment should be comfortable, educational, stimulating and fun. Like Vygotsky, I too believe that children are active leaners and they learn not only from their teachers but also from each other. Vygotsky believed that important learning occurs through social interaction skillful tutor; the tutor here being the teacher who models behavior for the child/children. Vygotsky Zone of Proximal Development has proven that children are successfully developmentally when given examples of play or given the opportunity to have peer interaction. As a believer in Vygotsky theory I would use his approach while committing to creating an environment where my students can learn and grow successfully through meaningful play. I believe children are unique individuals and should be seen and thought of as such. With that in mind, as a teacher its my responsibility to tailor my curriculum to meet the individual needs of my students no matter their uniqueness. I would focus on

teaching the whole-child while being aware of his or her physical, social, emotional and intellectual developmental needs. In teaching the whole child I would be observant to when new skills are about to emerge in my students and I would seek to develop them. I believe that parents and guardians are a childs first teacher, so I value open communication between parent and teacher. It has been stated by many and I too believe that students learn and succeed best not only when the environment is conducive to their learning but also when parents/guardians are involve in their educational program. As a teacher I am committed to developing relationships of mutual trust with families and having an open door policy, I believe families should have access to the their childs/childrens classroom. As a teacher I will be committed to upholding the principles and values of the NAEYC code of ethical conduct. I would this by being ethically responsible to my students, their families, my colleagues and my community.