Jennifer Cornelius

ETEC 424
June 10, 2016
My Education Philosophy

Why I want to teach

My commitment as a teacher is a sacred one. A teacher holds the futures of
her students in her hands. A good teacher can inspire and uplift students, ensuring
that no one falls through the cracks or gets overlooked. A careless teacher,
however, can unwittingly crush a students love of learning, setting his or her
learning back, and possibly doing more harm than good. I have had both of these
kinds of teachers. My commitment as a teacher is to provide each and every child
that comes into my classroom the best education that I can possibly give. This is
why I want to teach.
Who I will teach
I will teach every child that enters my classroom. They will be elementary
students or early childhood students, but I will teach all of them. That may sound
like an obvious thing, but in practice it can be much harder to achieve than it
seems. I will teach students who are hungry, who are missing parents, and those
who have disabilities. I will teach the gifted, the mischievous, and the lonely. I will
teach them no matter their color or creed. Each and every one of these students
will have strengths and they will have challenges. I will help they celebrate these
strengths, and overcome these challenges. I will help every child who enters my
classroom, whether it is a small country classroom, an affluent classroom in the
suburbs, or an urban title one school, to make the most of his/her educational
journey.
How I will teach
I am going to teach with passion and empathy. I will use technology, hands
on activities, and other engaging methods to encourage my students to immerse
themselves in learning. I will create in students a love for learning by encouraging
them to learn about things that interest them. I will be sensitive to issues that they
are facing, and help them constructively work through things that are blocking them
from learning to their fullest potential. It is also important to me that I make sure
that I am using an assessment cycle to observe what my students are learning, and
whether they need to move on to the next lesson, or if they need more support with
the material that they have just been exposed to. I intend to make sure that my
lessons are integrated, and cover all of the TEKS and standards.
Where I will teach
I am not sure where I will teach. It will be in Texas, and probably around the
Dallas area. Other than that I do not know if I will teach in a country school like

Ector, or in an affluent district like McKinney. I may also work in an urban school at
some point, though the odds of that are slim unless I move out of Ector.