My Teaching Philosophy

Before even thinking about teaching, I will need to have a grasp of what direction I want
to take and what guidelines I need to set for the students, the classroom, and myself. This idea of
a roadmap needs to be established both academically and socially in the classroom, and be
understood by all. I will need to understand state benchmarks and district expectations; as well as
how these external elements affect the students, lesson planning, and classroom management.
Although these things are essential to running a classroom, it is also important for me to add my
own personal touch to the lessons, as well as applying the interests of the students and real-life
applications. I also believe in making the classroom a personal experience through recognizing
student interest and applying it to the lessons, while still keeping on track with our goals and
expectations. This personal level of the classroom will also be reached through developing
respectful, yet meaningful relationships with my students: which fosters both the intellectual and
personal growth of the class.
The traits in the children of todays generation can be quite concerning: there is a
constant need to be entertained and catered to. Interpersonal interaction is quickly being replaced
by technology and what it has to offer: everything needs to be faster, more interesting, and
require very little physical engagement. For this reason, the job of teachers has become
extremely difficult as we are expected to keep up with the level of entertainment that video
games and other mind-numbing activities provide. Delivering lessons that are both meaningful
and stimulating is essential to creating a successful and productive classroom, while still
demanding respect and not catering to every whim. Showing students that I care, not just about
my content area, but also their personal lives, is essential to creating a healthy understanding of
and relationship with them. By doing this, the students see more than just a teacher; they see a

human being that they can relate to and therefore respect. Building relationships, meeting
expectations, connecting textbooks to the real world, and having a controlled yet fun
environment are all necessary in order to be a successful educator.
All individuals have the ability to learn and obtain a greater depth of knowledge
however the breaking point is the drive, discipline, and emotional state to do so. If I expect my
students to find interest in my content area, then I need to make it my priority to understand and
meet each student where they are at academically, socially, and emotionally. In relation to strictly
content knowledge, I believe that it is not in the best interest of the teacher or the students to
move on until a firm understanding of the content is obtained. Therefore, setting short-term and
long-term objectives so as to check the progress as a class, as well as individuals, using common
core standards will be a normal practice in my classroom.
In a school and classroom setting, there are different kinds and depths of knowledge, and
I want my students to have some proficiency in all of them. Knowledge of the content being
taught is the most obvious, but there also exist other forms that may be more important to the
students in the long run. The ability to interact with other students and the teacher appropriately
and respectfully is imperative in order to have an effective and positive classroom. Along with
this, an understanding of character and morals is often necessary to be modeled in the classroom.
As a teacher, I will be put into the position of a leader and an example in the students lives. This
can be extremely important since many children will be coming from broken homes and
families, and will therefore be learning what is expected and appropriate from me as well as their
peers.
When it comes to constituting learning in the classroom, the most effective learning
happens when a respectful, caring, and understanding relationship is established between the

teacher and the students, and among the students themselves. Guidelines, rules, and expectations
must be firmly established so that the students can understand what is expected and feel positive
about their ability to accomplishable them. Real-life connections and relevancy in regards to the
lessons is the responsibility of the teacher to institute. The students also need to be able to
visualize the end goal - the final accomplishment that keeps them going and gives them insight
into why they are doing all of these tasks. They need to see the relevance in everything they do.
It is extremely important, especially in the Spanish classroom, for me to be answer the question
why. Why is Spanish important to their immediate lives? And for this reason, making those
connections to the world around them is imperative.
Having the necessary resources available to the students is crucial for learning what can
take place outside of the textbook, and technology is central for the connections that students
make to the content. Since this is an era of technology, it is important that I know how to
effectively utilize different forms of it in my classroom. This can range from personal computers,
to a SMART board, to Google Earth and online scavenger hunts. Many of these technological
resources can aid in the connections that are made to the real world, allowing for students to
witness differences and similarities between different cultures and people groups.
In relation to my desired classroom environment, there are several key elements that I will make
a priority to facilitate. First, I want my classroom to be inviting: my students will feel safe and
secure when they come into my room. It is best that the room be well lit and at a comfortable
temperature, with fun and pertinent decorations set up around the room. I will use music to keep
them engaged and to immerse them in the Latin-American culture. The chairs will be set up in a
U formation for maximum interaction and for the sake of visual and physical access for all
students. Organization is key: there will be a system for everything from going to the bathroom

to how they turn in their papers. Students should be able to experience consistency through a
reliable system that encourages interactive learning and facilitates a healthy learning
environment.
It is easy to think of a teaching philosophy and all of the qualities that we want to see
happening in our classroom. However, I know that entering into the teaching world is always
extremely eye opening, bringing an end to the honeymoon phase for many beginning teachers.
For this reason, I want to have goals and expectations for my classroom, while still keeping a
reality check on everything that I aspire to do. In this sense, student teaching will give me the
dose of reality to make my philosophy both come to life, and mature in all the right ways.