Running header: PHILOSOPHY AND BELIEFS PAPER 1

Philosophy and Beliefs Paper

Quinn Crawford

I decided that I wanted to become a teacher in 2016 after attending my

son’s open house for middle school and only seeing one teacher who looked

like my child. I believe that the purpose of education is to empower because a

person with knowledge has the power to change the world. As an educator I

will teach children only what they need to know in an interactive way. My aunt

Angie has influenced me as an educator. She has worked in the same school for

almost 25 years and has helped to shape the lives of many children in a positive

way. Through her work, she has shown me that there aren’t “bad” children, just

misguided children.

I am going to start out teaching children between the ages of 3-4. Before

school starts, I will send families a questionnaire to gather information about the

children I will be teaching. One question that I will include on the questionnaire is

“How does your child learn?”, and I will provide the different learning styles and

definitions. I believe that by doing this I can find out the range of learning styles

and the different diversities. Once I know who I will have in the class I can begin

to include every culture in an already diverse classroom. Currently my

community of learners are the students in the Early Care and Education

program. We all share very similar values and beliefs because of the classes

we’ve taken and are constantly learning from one another.

 I will teach children using a combination of all the curriculum models

(Creative Curriculum, Montessori, Project Approach, and High Scope). I believe

that I should have a variety of ways to teach children that will keep them

engaged and in charge of their own learning. I will teach children literacy,

math, and science skills using these models. I think children learn best through

hands on experiences. Worksheets do not help children grasp the concepts we

want to teach them unless we’re able to sit down one-on-one which is rare in

the classroom. Because I have learned and believe that children learn best with

hands on experiences I will include songs and heaps of activities to help them to

remember the concepts. I believe that pulling children who are on mixed

learning levels into small groups will help to balance the needs of every child in

my class. Children who are stronger in certain areas can help other children

within those smaller groups. I want all my students to be confident in all areas of

learning and in themselves.

I want to teach in a school in or around the community where I went to

school. I believe that I can make a difference in that area. By incorporating

diversity within the class every day, I will bring global awareness to the children I

teach. I will do this by creating a classroom environment with pictures and

artifacts from different cultures. I will teach children about different cultures and

that we don’t all do things the same. I will participate in community events even

when my own children aren’t involved. I believe that being “awake” in the

community shows my commitment to all children. I will also help families and
colleagues with school related issues as well as any personal issue that I can. I

believe that this will build a family-like community and make it easier to work

together. I will extend the opportunity to every family to participate in family

engagement events. I will also invite families to the class to share their

knowledge on relevant subjects throughout the year. For example, if we are

discussing the Mexican culture I will invite a Mexican family in to talk about their

culture.

I chose to become a teacher to help make a difference in the lives of

young children. I will do so by researching my children and their families to

come up with the best strategy on how to teach each child before school starts.

I will use a variety of teaching styles to accommodate the different learners in

my classroom and provide a balance to ensure that the entire class is successful

in their learning. I will incorporate diversity every day, not just during multicultural

week, to teach children the differences and similarities of people around the

world. To create a family-like community I will participate in community events

and assist my colleagues and families any way I can. I will be successful. I will

make a difference.