My Teaching Philosophy

BriAnn Seagraves

To me the three most important purposes of teaching is to; Inspire each student, aiding in

not only the intellectual growth of each students but also the personal and psychological growth

and finally helping the students to set and achieve their goals in life and in their education. For

me as an educator I find that your purpose is not only to teach the book work but also life

lessons. For example, group work can help the students to learn how to work well with others,

give and receive constructive criticism, delegating tasks. There are life lessons in almost every

book work lesson and I feel it is my job as a teacher to teach our children these lessons that will

by highly beneficial for them later in life.

The educational principles that guide me as an educator are first understanding your

students. In order to educate your students and insure each and every one of them understands

the information you need understand them as a student. Every student learns differently, and it is
my job as the educator to teach in a way that covers every teaching method. It is my job to make

sure my students understand the information and to help them succeed in my class. If I stick to

one method of teaching I am doing my class and my students an injustice.

The second is setting clear expectations and rules for my classroom. I want a very organized

and respected classroom. I want my expectations to be understood and respected by every

student. Building a foundation, the first day of school by laying out my expectations and rules

will set a precedence for the rest of the year. It is extremely important to set a tone the first day

of school, because it allows the students to take personal responsibility for their education and

behavior throughout the year. If you don’t do this the first day you set a tone of inconsistency

and it creates what I describe as a disorganized classroom. When I was a senior in high school I

began to do some student observations for an elementary classroom. The first day of school

was remarkable! The teacher I was observing made her students line up outside of her classroom

and shake her hand before walking into the classroom. She told them to put their bags up in their

cubbies and find their seat. I stood back and watched each student put their bags up and find their

seat, and the ones that didn’t she addressed it and corrected their behavior on the spot. The

second day was even more remarkable, the students without being told stood and waited outside

the door in a single file line like the day before and waited to shack the teacher's hand. Once she

greeted them she did not have to give them instruction on what to do next. The students put their

bags up and made their way to their seats. I knew then exactly what I would expect from my

students in my future classroom. That tone and precedence that elementary teacher set for her

students really inspired me and gave me knowledge to understand that no matter how young or

old your students are you must still set expectations for them to achieve. Also, I learned

addressing wrong behavior immediately can seriously affect your authority and respect that the
students give you. No matter how big or little the issue is if you do not correct the wrong

behavior immediately then the students will begin to push the boundaries and your classroom

will slowly fall out of order.

The third education principle is creating a safe, welcoming and comfortable place for my

students. Knowing that my students trust me and look up to me will guide me as an educator to

help them in their lives personally and intellectually. I had a teacher in middle school that was

my confidant and a trusted ally. When you're having a bad day and you have a teacher you know

you can go to is the most relaxing thought. Being surrounded by a bunch of people

that aren’t your mom and dad all day is kind of intimidating for some. For me it scared me my

mom has always been my best friend and to not have her with me all day is not the most

comforting thought, however having a teacher that you have a close bond to is comforting when

your mother can’t be there.

The fourth principle for me is to promote creativity. Promoting creativity in my classroom

will allow my students to thrive in their best way. Allowing the students to have

open discussions versus long quiet lectures will encourage the students to interact and

prompt involvement in their learning. Again, taking control of their education. That is one big

lesson I have learned in college. You and you alone are in control of your education and learning

that in college is extremely hard, being taught that in younger grades will aide in their learning

process. Will help them to be more successful in their upper level courses. These principles are

what is going to help guide me to strive to be better as an educator every day and to do all that I

can in my classroom. With these principles contributing together I will have a strong, healthy,

organized, creative, successful classroom.

 What does it mean to truly learn something? I feel if you can explain a topic to someone else

in a way that they understand, or on a simpler level I feel as if you have truly learned that topic.

Being able to understand a topic on a more complex level then in return being able to break it

down into simpler terms to explain it to someone will show how well you fully know that topic.

In addition I feel to learn means to embrace and let what you have learned be a part of who you

are.

I value all these aspects that I’ve explained in this short philosophy paper in that they will

help me in my career as an educator to be successful. All these parts together will aide in my

success, without one I feel as if I would not be as successful as I can be. As my quote

stated “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. - Aristotle” This

speaks volumes as to who I am as a person and who I am as an educator. With professionalism,

poise and dedication I know I will be the best educator for my students, my classroom and my

district.

Citations

Gutierrez, A. (2018). Setting Classroom Expectations | Edudemic. [online] Edudemic.com.

Available at: http://www.edudemic.com/setting-classroom-expectations/ [Accessed 17 Sep.
2018].
University, C. (2018). Teaching Principles - Eberly Center - Carnegie Mellon University.
[online] Cmu.edu. Available at: https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/principles/teaching.html
[Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].

Wilkinson, D. (2018). At what point can you say you have learned something? | The Oxford
Review. [online] The Oxford Review. Available at: https://www.oxford-review.com/have-
learned/ [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].