Amy Hudson

Etec 424

Professor Wolfe

Texas A & M University- Commerce

04/10/2020

My Educational Philosophy
 My Educational Philosophy

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and

instill a love of learning.” Brad Henry. Ever since I was a little girl, I

always wanted to be a teacher. I never even considered another

option. My passion has always been to teach and inspire. I always

loved school and I still enjoy learning.

Several people have asked me, “Why do you want to be a

teacher?” Other than the obvious reason for loving to work with

children, I also enjoy helping a child grow and be successful. I firmly

believe that teachers have the most important job in the whole world.

Children see the world in such a magical and innocent way. They view

the world with endless possibilities. I want to encourage my students

to never let this mindset go. I want my students to not be afraid to

reach for their dreams and set goals to achieve. The late Kobe Bryant

once said, “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so

that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” My mission is that

my students will feel this way, that they can be great in whatever they
decide. I want my students to learn how to work together as a team

and be motivated to learn. I don’t just want to teach the basic core

subjects, but I want to teach kids how to believe in themselves, to

work together, to care about others, and to appreciate each other’s

differences. My hope for my students is that they will feel inspired to

change the world and make their mark.

I want children to come and feel safe in my classroom. My

classroom will be one that celebrates diversity and encourages

learning. I will encourage this by doing several group projects and

have activities where the kids interact with one another. I will have

diverse groups to help children learn that our differences can be a

great thing and to learn how to handle situations when someone has a

different belief than our own. I want to help my students by giving

them feedback. I am a firm believer that you must start with

something positive so students learn their strengths and feel proud of

themselves, and then limit your critiques to one or two things at a

time. I know if you tell me ten different things that I need to work on, I

am likely to not be able to do everything very well. For example, I

coach Oral Reading and every time a student reads their poem to me, I

give them notes, and at the end, I review their notes with them and
say, “Ok, let’s pick two things that we are going to work on improving

this next week. That will be our focus.” I have learned that by doing

this, my students end up doing better in the end because they focused

on one skill at a time and didn’t become overwhelmed trying to fix

everything at once.

When I was a child I loved every one of my teachers (perhaps

that is another reason I have wanted to be a teacher, because I looked

up to most of my teachers.) except one. I always struggled with my

math facts, especially my times tables that included 6, 7, and 8’s. My

teacher would make me stand at the front of the room and, with all the

kids staring at me, go through each of these times tables. Of course,

this did not help me to learn but instead created a fear of math. This is

not an effective teacher. You will notice that in the word, Teacher, is

the word teach. I have always heard a saying, “people don’t care how

much you know until they know how much you care.” The same goes

for teaching. To be a great teacher, you must show your students how

much you care about them. This has to come first, and then you can

incorporate Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies.

It has been my utmost honor to be in Deaf Education for the past

ten years. This has molded me and shaped me in ways that I had never
planned. I have realized how important it is to treat others that are

different from you and never look down on someone because of their

differences. It has also helped me to learn some ways to be a more

effective teacher. Such as providing visual aids, making sure my

content and directions are clear, and to set high standards for my

students. Through the process of working with so many different

children with so many different backgrounds and abilities, I have

learned the importance of helping children learn and grow where they

are at. I understand that every child has different abilities, and I have

learned that you must NEVER compare one student to another. All

children learn and grow at different levels, and it is my job to help

them to progress.

One of the most important strategies for being an effective

teacher is to have good classroom management. I have been in

situations where the class quickly becomes out of control, and you

lose the focus of your students. This does not mean that my students

have to sit at a desk and never speak, but instead means that my

students will have clear expectations and I will work to make sure my

students have a positive learning environment. I am a firm believer in

rewards/incentives and also consequences. I think our world is full of

them. For example, if I speed and get caught by a police officer, I may

have to pay a ticket. Or last year I had a great performance review at

my job and I received a bonus. I think rewards/consequences set clear

expectations and help prepare students for the world around them. I

want to incorporate this into my classroom to help motivate my

students to learn and to teach them that working hard does pay off.

For example, in my classroom right now, we use Panther bucks. This is

not only a great incentive, but it teaches kids about money and how to

count, spend, and save it. The money is in increments of $5, $10, $20,

$50, and $100. Based on the weight of their behavior they get awarded

money. For example, picking up a piece of trash on the floor without

being asked may get them $5, or bringing class supplies that are

needed may get them $50. Then every Friday they get the chance to

spend their money or save it. They can spend their money and get

candy, something out of the prize box, sit by a friend for the day, be

the teacher’s helper, etc. Of course, the bigger the prize the more it is

worth.

Another strategy for me as a teacher is to be well organized. I

don’t want to waste my precious time with my students looking for

papers or figuring out what I need to do next. I want my students to

know when they are with me, they are my priority. I will model at the

beginning of the year, and throughout the year as needed, where

papers need to go. I will also show students where they can find extra

copies of assignments or make-up work if they are absent. I will

review with the class where they can find needed materials such as

glue, paper, pencils, etc. I believe being organized helps the classroom

run smoothly.

In summary, my ultimate goal is for my students to feel loved and

valued while at the same time instilling a passion for learning and

growing into whatever they hope to achieve. I want my students to

realize that we are always learning and growing as human beings.

Learning doesn’t just happen while sitting at a desk, but it occurs

constantly in the world around us.