OBrien Norris

Dr. Becker
EDUC 3320-090

Vision Statement
Educators influence learning and guide students to discover a passion for learning.
Becoming an excellent educator will involve continual learning and recognizing the immense
impact I will have on students. You have much, much more to do with how your students turn
out than you may have thought (Jensen, 1998, p. 33). My goal is to be the type of teacher who
will do everything it takes to empower students to be their best. Three experiences specifically,
have guided my beliefs as a future educator; working with students and educators at a residential
treatment center, working as a pre-kindergarten teacher at a child care facility, and taking
education courses in college have all been influential on my views about how children learn. I
know that I will always be growing and learning just as my students will. Over time my teaching
philosophy will change as I grow, learn, and have new experiences as an educator.
Working at the residential treatment center allowed me to work with many students of
different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. I met many students who just wanted to know that
someone cared. I recognize the impact emotional experiences have on learning. The classroom
and the school provide opportunities for endless emotional experiences, and students brains will
be altered by those experiences (Jensen, 1998, p.68). Building relationships with students and
being a good role model are key characteristics of an excellent teacher. I will model my love for
learning and keep a positive attitude about my job. Because positive emotions during the
learning experience create a great association in the brain (Jensen, 1998, p.75) I will work to
create a positive classroom community where engaging emotions is an integral part of educating
students. Students need to be taught emotional intelligence skills in a repetitive way that makes
positive behaviors as automatic as negative ones (Jensen, 1998, p. 80). It is important for

OBrien Norris
Dr. Becker
EDUC 3320-090

students to feel encouraged to express emotions and inspired to develop a lasting love for
learning.
The child care facility I worked for was extremely family oriented. I worked with parents
and staff often to make sure students were achieving to the best of their abilities. I learned how to
use lessons to create interactive learning environments. Learning which type of lessons and
structures are most beneficial to reaching students at all learning levels, is central to becoming an
excellent educator. Cooperative learning will be an integral part of my teaching strategies to help
develop of student interaction and social skills. In the workplace where teamwork,
communication skills, and interpersonal skills reign supreme, we are awakening rudely to the
reality that students lack the skills they need to succeed (Kagan, 2009, p. 2.6). Several factors
have influenced the decline of social skills of this century including family structure, nontraditional families and violence in our environments. Cooperative learning can change the way
students socialize and interact. Students taught with cooperative learning construct meaning and
make learning more relevant (Kagan, 2009, p. 2.15). Encouraging students to work as a team,
through the use of cooperative learning, increases interpersonal contact, includes shared goals,
and promotes sharing, helping and praising (Kagan, 2009, p. 3.6). By modeling good
communication skills and using cooperative learning structures, I will be able to promote
positive social values in my future classroom.
The college courses I have taken have helped develop my philosophy of teaching through
unique field experiences and classroom environments. My professors and mentor teachers have
modeled what it means to be an excellent teacher. Working in classrooms of special populations
with diverse learners has helped shape my beliefs about how students learn. I will provide all
learners with cooperative learning opportunities because with cooperative learning in

OBrien Norris
Dr. Becker
EDUC 3320-090

classrooms, students interact freely on equal-statues footing, making true integration a reality in
our schools (Kagan, 2009 p.3.5). Recognizing individual learner needs and creating a classroom
environment that promotes academic success are essential to being an excellent educator. I will
create a classroom environment where students want to come because for students to learn,
grow, behave, and perform optimally, a smartly designed, high-performance environment is
necessary (Jensen, 1998, p. 93). Flexible seating will be a significant part of creating a
classroom environment which, supports cooperative learning and classroom management.
Students will be able to work together more easily and I will be able to integrate structures.
As my journey to become an excellent teacher continues, my teaching philosophy will
change and improve. Carol Ann Tomlinson, an educator and author said, Excellence in
education is when we do everything that we can to make sure they become everything that they
can. I will continue to strive for excellence and encourage students to develop a love for
learning. By using cooperative learning structures, the class building, teambuilding, and
energizers create a positive class climate conducive to that fundamental goal: creating a love of
learning (Kagan, 2009, p. 1.5). Teachers have the most influence on how the world can change
because the students in their classrooms are the future. I want to be a teacher who inspires
students to change the world.

OBrien Norris
Dr. Becker
EDUC 3320-090

Works Cited
Jensen, E. (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum development.
Kagan, S. (2009). Cooperative learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan publishing.