Personal Statement

Through out my schooling I have been inspired by teachers on what I believe makes a good teacher
and what sort of teacher I wish to become. Writing this statement I acknowledge that my philosophy is
still very much in production. Im dedicated to the field of primary teaching and to sharing my passion
for lifelong learning. Im excited for the journey that is ahead of me in my teaching. Teaching for me is
an endless river stretching across to every learner. I hope to have an impact on my students guiding
them down the endless stream of knowledge. I hope to establish a safe learning environment where
students feel comfortable to ask questions and make mistakes on their learning journey.
As a primary teacher I understand the influence I have on those around me. Education is a
responsibility, which I take with great pride to make my mark. I acknowledge this responsibility and
strive to grow to fulfill all students needs. Indeed, Henry Adams has suggested that a teacher affects
eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
The role teachers have in society through what they know, do and care about is so powerful. With this
understanding, I have centered my teaching pedagogy on the following standards.

I will go above and beyond to see my students as individuals to understand their learning
through the context of their families.
I will construct relevant unit plans that are centered on students interest and value
diversity.
I will ensure my learning environment offers full inclusion and safety for students to feel
comfortable and able to take risks with their learning.
I will reflect on my teaching to adhere to professional development and cater for life-long
learning.
Professional teaching practices revolve around building strong relationships with colleagues and
students. In order to create a safe learning environment there must be strong relationships with both
colleagues and students. I place high emphasis on building these relationships to ensure support for
myself and for my students. These relationships must be built on trust and respect in-order to achieve
open reflective and communication practices. Through building these relationships establishes a
network of support for self and students. Through this support, students will receive quality-learning
experiences to enhance their education.
I will hold high expectations of my students but place the same expectation on my self. My
expectation of self is to produce quality-learning experiences that stem from students needs and
interest. I know a high order of differentiation will need to be present, to hold similar expectations on
all students. Differentiation can occur through modifying assessments for diverse abilities. Through the
differentiation I can reflect on results to evaluate students learning and reflect on my own teaching to
see what needs improvement. From my teaching I have been fortunate to be given opportunities to
experiment with differentiation on students with diverse needs and conditions. ICT has been a tool I
have used to reach out to students with diverse needs. ICT is effective for it can be visually stimulating
for students and draws excitement to their learning. I value ICT as it is forever developing and offers
higher levels of communication adhering to students multiple intelligences.
As a young professional I believe Im flexible and thrive on professional development. Im always
eager to join new working environments to share my passion with colleagues and students. I will strive
to build a fundamental network with Brisbane Catholic Education. I want to be one day regarded as a
valuable asset to BCE. Through my journey, it is my ultimate goal to stay true to this philosophy by
making my mark on my: school and colleagues. I wish to ignite the flame inside my students to give
them a thirst for ambition like my own teachers distilled in me.

Personal Statement

-Dylan Thomas Ryan