My
purpose in being a teacher is to help guide children as they begin to
understand the world around them and the place that they want to have in it. I
want my classroom to be a place that students enjoy spending time in, both in
class and outside of class time. I want it to be a place where students feel
safe and where they feel that that can openly discuss issues related to the subject
being taught or simply related to things that they feel are important, both
with me as the teacher, and with their peers.
As
for my core philosophic beliefs, I believe that everyone regardless of ethnic
or cultural background, gender, creed, age, or sexual orientation deserves and
is entitled to respect and equality. Throughout my life I have always been
interested in learning about and learning from people who were different from
me in any way, shape, or form. In college, I pursued this even more and
graduated with a degree in anthropology and archaeology. I have always wanted
to understand life both past and present through the eyes of other people. I do
not believe that this makes me an unbiased individual; I feel that everyone is
biased in some way or another, not because we want to be, but simply because as
human beings, we have been conditioned through all aspects of our lives to
believe and agree with certain things and not with others- I think this is what
makes us human. I also believe that as human beings we have the ability to
reflect upon our actions and beliefs, and in this way, we can work to be more
understanding and considerate of those around us regardless of our differences.
I
believe that my core philosophical beliefs will influence my teaching on a more
personal level with my students because I tend to embrace similarities and
differences and understand that one style of teaching does not fit all
students. I think that while the subject matter is standard in the classroom, there
are many ways of teaching the core material to students so that they can relate
personally to what is being taught. I feel that this is the job of a teacher-
to find a way to make what you are teaching matter not only to one student in
your class but to all. I also realize that this is an idealized concept, but I
think that through self reflection and willingness to change things when you
see they are not working, may help to reach this goal.
As
for the Super Bowl… I do not even know which two teams are playing.
Hello Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI really like the way you were able to articulate your core beliefs and more importantly the way you explain how they came to be. I like the idea that teachers should contribute to create a close relationship between the students and the material they are learning -- personal you say -- I like it, and I definitely would like to learn how to make this happen in my classroom.
Lauren, I really related to the part where you discussed biases and even though we can be interested in learning about and from individuals who are different than us we are not un-biased. I also agree with guiding and helping students as they begin to interpret the world and decide which place they would like to have in it. As far as the not only teaching to one student but to all also related to what Carlos had mentioned about how every human being is unique, even in regards to their education and learning. Your Super Bowl comment made me laugh...I had to ask my boyfriend who was playing and I guessed on the point spread. Turns out 25 is not even a possible number in football scores...oops:)
ReplyDeleteI really respected your core beliefs about the biases that we have as human beings and I think that those are important to understand as a teacher. I also really liked how you discussed the necessity to use different techniques to fit embrace the similarities and differences in students.
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